Stars and Sparkles
by LaptopWriter22
Summary: High school can be a tough area in life. And when high school life crumples from the inside out for a certain Fireside Girl, she realizes that maybe someone was there for her all along. And someone doesn't necessarily mean her longtime crush...But facing that truth isn't a welcome thought for her. Written because I like going out of my comfort zone!
1. Chapter 1

Stars and Sparkles

_**A/N: Hey, guys…this was a little impromptu…I suddenly just had to write it, because I don't like the idea of a pairing I can't write, and the idea went well in my head…so here it is.**_

Chapter One

School.

He hated school, with the metallic _slam_ of locker doors, the sounds of people pressing their cell phone buttons, constantly texting vicious gossip about one another, the cliques, and the pressures. He hated the feeling in the pit of his stomach that accompanied the first day of school. Just the dread he felt reaching out for the front door of Silverview High was enough to make him forget a summer full of fun and time with his brother. He was especially worried about him this year. It was his first year of high school.

"Hey, Ferb, check it out! This place is _way_ bigger than middle school," an enthusiastic voice interrupted Ferb's thoughts. Ferb looked down at Phineas and nodded.

Phineas would probably be fine. He never went into anything with a negative attitude, expecting the best in any situation. That was why Ferb liked having him for a brother. Sometimes, if Ferb tried hard enough, Phineas' cheery outlook rubbed off on him, too. It happened a lot during summer.

"Shall we go in?" Phineas asked teasingly. Ferb noticed he still had his hand on the door handle. He pushed the door open and entered the school building.

There. It was done. Somehow, stepping into school and taking in the view of the halls and lockers made Ferb a little more reconciled to the idea of another school year. That and someone that he'd secretly begun to especially look forward to seeing ever since one day back in eighth grade.

"Hi, Ferb, Phineas. What'cha doin'?" As Phineas engaged the raven-haired girl in conversation, Ferb adjusted his backpack strap, preparing to look up.

_Keep your cool._ He raised his eyes, reminding himself to maintain his usual expressionless gaze. It was a valuable shield in this often hostile, mocking environment. It also masked the feelings he knew he could never share, even with his closest friends.

Isabella was wearing a shirt with a white lining complimented by an attached deep purple covering that seemed to float around her, simple blue jeans, and purple flats. Her long hair was pulled back into a casual ponytail. She wasn't looking at him, focusing on Phineas instead. No surprise there. Ferb was all too used to that. So, why was he still letting her entrance him?

Ferb's backpack dropped to the floor. Looking at Isabella, he'd stopped paying attention to what he was doing with the backpack. The thud sounded harshly loud in his ears. Phineas and Isabella turned toward him as he hurried to pick it up.

"Ferb, are you okay?" Phineas inquired. Ferb hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders again and gave a thumbs-up.

"I'm sure high school will be about like middle school," Phineas continued his conversation with Isabella. "Maybe Ferb can give us some tips for survival. After all, he's already been here a year."

"Mmhm." Isabella's gaze shifted to Ferb. He took the opportunity to catch a glimpse of her starry blue eyes. He never dared look Isabella in the eye too long. He was afraid that if he did, she might guess his thoughts.

"Anything to say, Ferb?" she asked with a hint of good-natured teasing. He looked from one freshman to the other, emphasizing the advice he was about to give. He hoped it wouldn't fall on deaf ears.

"Keep quiet, stay back, and be careful about making new friends." Isabella and Phineas exchanged glances.

"Ah, Ferb! So melodramatic," Phineas chuckled. Ferb rolled his eyes and suddenly walked away.

It wasn't that he was angry with his brother-exactly. Phineas just wasn't aware of his own naivety. He never had been. He counted Ferb's caution as unfriendliness and was always trying to get him to meet more people. Ferb loved his brother dearly, but Phineas didn't understand how heartless people could be. All Ferb could do was hope that no one took advantage of Phineas' ignorance this school year. He couldn't be around all the time.

"Ferb!" Phineas ran after him, and Isabella ran after Phineas. "I didn't mean to upset you," the redhead apologized.

"I'm not upset," Ferb said quickly. Phineas started to speak again, but was interrupted by a tough, deep voice.

"Hey, Dinner Bell! I'm tryin' to work this math problem, and the nerd tried to explain it to me, but he's using another language again," Buford called, waving a piece of paper.

"On my way," Phineas responded, making his way to Buford. Ferb was left alone beside Isabella. He watched the way her eyes followed Phineas across the room, like blue moths to a bright red flame.

"So, what class have you got first?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"Algebra One." She made a face. "I think Phineas has English. His first class isn't the same as mine. We don't have one shared class until science lab, which is after lunch. I'm just glad we got study hall together. Score!"

"I know where Algebra One is-" Ferb began.

"Oh, yeah. It's right around the corner and down the hall," Isabella carelessly interrupted him. Wow. It's almost time for class." She took a last glance at Phineas and sighed. "I guess I'll see him later." With that, she walked briskly off. Ferb slowly prepared to trudge off in the opposite direction. Isabella probably would never have accepted an offer from him to walk her to class anyway.

"Oh, Ferb!" He turned to see her half-running back, clutching an envelope in her hand.

"Here." She handed it to him. "It's the invitation for that back-to-school party I'm hosting. I was saving this one to give to Phineas personally, but I guess he's busy, and I want him to have plenty of notice. Oh, it's also for you. You can open it if you want, but be sure to show it to Phineas. Thanks!" She rushed off again and disappeared into the steadily amassing crowd.

Ferb tore the envelope open. He'd almost forgotten about the party Isabella had been planning. She'd talked about it off and on. Well, at least he was invited, even if he was only an afterthought.

_ You are invited to a back-to-school celebration in the Garcia-Shapiro backyard, _the card read. Ferb ran through the details as he walked toward his locker. The party was Friday night at six o' clock.

Ferb shut his locker door and slipped the invitation into his backpack. If he'd dared, he would have put the envelope to his face and breathed in, hoping for the scent of her new perfume that Isabella's mother had let her buy in honor of her first year of high school. He would have daydreamed about Isabella and been late for class. If he had dared or had really wanted, he would have ripped off the delicate handwriting on the bottom of the sheet of paper that said, _Looking forward to seeing you there, Phineas, _and tossed it into a trash can.

But he was aware of the fact that Isabella wasn't his. He wasn't a hopeless romantic given to enjoying perfumed letters, or at least, that was what he told himself. He wasn't some desperate, vengeful monster, either. It would be revenge on Phineas, in a way, to tear the handwriting off. He wouldn't be given the chance to see what he was missing. Ferb wanted Phineas to see. Isabella would be happy then. Love was never selfish.

Besides, something Ferb definitely would never be was late for class. He reminded himself of that fact as he ran for Biology to beat the bell.

School went on as usual until lunch. Ferb arrived at the cafeteria still pondering the day. The gossip and the words aimed at people defenseless to do anything about it dug deeply into him sometimes. It didn't happen to him often; he made sure of that. Mocking received for not talking was much more bearable than mocking received for saying something that was able to be twisted. He had never learned that the hard way, but he was afraid Phineas would. Phineas was just so talkative and impetuous, and sometimes, he didn't think too carefully about what he said.

"Leave her alone, you little miscreant! Let me through!" Ferb turned toward the noise to see a snickering group of girls clustered around someone. Isabella was pulling at the girls, trying to get them away from whoever they were torturing now. Ferb groaned inwardly, recognizing the ringleader. _Isabella, no,_ he thought. _Not the seniors._

He did something against his own rules for high school survival: He hurried toward the trouble. Sandra Rivera and her followers were not to be challenged, especially on one's first day of high school. They played dirty and never forgot to take revenge on anyone who challenged them-in a sickeningly dainty, girlish way, of course. There was no way he was allowing Isabella to tangle with them.

Ferb stood beside Isabella and leveled an icy stare at the girls. Eventually, they disbanded, murmuring insults on their way back to the tables.

"Freak! What is with the stare?"

"Little creep…"

Ferb ignored the girls and looked down at the object of Sandra's teasing. Katie was backed up against a table top, tears running down her face and mustard smeared on her shirt. Ferb sighed and pulled her to the safety of Isabella and a few of the Fireside Girls, who had assembled by now.

"Are you okay?" he asked Katie. She nodded and sniffed.

"They tried to pull my skirt down because I bumped into one of them," she cried. Isabella put her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry, Katie," she huffed. "Those jerks will bother you again over my dead body." She threw the words toward the girls. Sandra narrowed her eyes at Isabella across the tables. Ferb winced.

He laid a restraining hand on Isabella's arm, and she slowly looked away from the senior girls. As the tensions in the air dissipated and Milly and Adyson took Katie back to her table, Isabella turned her attention to Ferb.

"They make me so mad," she muttered.

"Even so, you can't afford to have them for enemies," Ferb cautioned.

"What do you know? You're so spineless, Ferb! I thought you'd grow up to be stronger than that," Isabella argued.

Ferb tried to ignore her sharp tone. He wouldn't have minded the insults if she hadn't really meant them. "I'm not spineless, I'm cautious," he replied. "I'd gladly stand up to any boy; all they do is beat people up. But you haven't seen what high school girls can do."

Isabella studied the ground. "It's not like this is an entirely different place," she countered. "I've been to middle school, you know."

"That was Meadow Lake. This is Silverview High, the biggest high school in town with students from all over the tri-state area," Ferb replied.

"I guess," Isabella gave in suddenly. "I'll try to have less of a temper, Ferb." The corner of Ferb's mouth turned up. He loved it when she gave in to him. It was a rare occurrence, so he savored the moments when it happened.

"Just be careful," he admonished, watching her loose ponytail swirl around the back of her neck as she turned.

"I will. I guess I'd better see if Katie's stopped crying yet," she replied. Ferb suddenly thought of something. He turned his head to search the room. When he didn't see the person he was looking for, he called to his friend.

"Isabella!" She turned back.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Phineas?" Ferb asked, walking back toward her. Isabella's face changed a little as she pointed to a table far across the room.

"He went to sit with some new people he met," she replied. "I guess he didn't even hear what happened from where he was sitting."

"Oh." Ferb turned away.

"Ferb?"

"Yes?" He looked back over his shoulder at her.

"Thanks for rescuing Katie," Isabella said with a smile. With that, she ran off to her table, only half-hearing Ferb murmur something in return. She began to attend to Katie and had her arm around her friend before his words resonated in her head.

Had he just said, "I didn't do it for Katie?" Isabella shook her head. No. Whatever Ferb had really said had been distorted in the buzz of the cafeteria. It didn't matter, anyway. She was sure it wasn't important.

Ferb was such a nice guy, though. He did a lot of things that she wished Phineas would follow his example on. Like saving Katie, and being concerned for Isabella.

Yeah, she and the girls were fortunate to have a friend like Ferb looking out for them. Isabella ignored the glowers from Sandra's table and helped wipe the mustard from Katie's shirt.

It was going to be a tough year of high school.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

He remembered what had happened the first time he admitted to himself that he felt more than friendship for her. He was sitting in the darkened living room after everyone else had gone to bed, thinking about that night again after he'd promised himself for the umpteenth time that he wouldn't.

It was the evening of his eighth grade graduation. Meadow Lake Middle School had thrown all the students a dance, called a Prelude to the Prom, in honor of the occasion. Isabella had been thrilled at the idea of her first dance. Phineas had to be coerced into going-by Isabella. "Just go and have fun," she'd told him. "Everyone else we know will be there. You can imagine it's one of your summer parties."

After much convincing from his mother, Isabella, and Ferb, Phineas had agreed to go. The evening was fun, coming across just like a party as the music played and the kids played at dancing. Everyone was flushed, a bit nervous, and excited. And everyone had wanted to dance with Phineas. He was one of the best-looking guys there, and certainly the most extroverted.

So, Phineas, as usual, paid attention to everyone else. As the pretty girls taught him how to dance, Isabella stood by the wall in her beautiful dress and curled hair and watched. Ferb had been casually observing the familiar sight without really thinking about it. Phineas was sometimes too good at being selfless to strangers; Isabella suffered because of it; nothing new. Of course, he did feel sorry for her.

He'd looked across the room to give her a smile of encouragement, something he did fairly often nowadays. She was watching Phineas, but he waited patiently for her to look back, knowing how much it meant to a girl to have someone understand in moments like these. It had taken some time for her to look over, but when she finally turned her gaze toward him, he started at the look in her eyes.

She was crushed. Her face, even in the dim, glowing lights, was clearly twisted and ready to cry. Her eyes had lost their shine. Ferb walked over to her without any hesitation. She had been going to sit down, and he couldn't let her do that. It just wasn't fitting for Isabella to give up.

He appeared in front of her and silently offered her his hand. She smiled her usual sad, slight smile and accepted it. He drew her out onto the dance floor, as a favor for a friend.

And as he did, "Fireflies" by Owl City had started playing. She'd smiled a little more and started letting herself enjoy the music. Ferb simply let her dance. She had become such a good dancer; probably had practiced in her room for the whole year, waiting for this moment to share it with Phineas. Ferb wondered why he suddenly didn't like the feel of that thought and had stood back until she reached behind her and pulled him after her. He accommodated her accordingly, matching his steps to hers while she matched her steps to the lyrics. He couldn't discern anything tangible about her for more than a second. One moment, he would be holding her waist; the next, her hair would brush his shoulder; a second later, her fingers would skim across his arm. It had been dizzying, but beautiful, as he'd realized that he had never really danced with a girl, either. Then, the beautiful, suddenly fitting, song had ended, and they'd twirled, breathless, to a

standstill and realized everyone had stopped to watch them.

They pulled apart a little embarrassedly and made their way through the crowd back toward the wall. Ferb had glanced nervously back and forth when they reached their destination. Isabella was unfazed.

_"Thanks, Ferb,"_ she'd said to him. _"I was afraid no one would dance with me."_ He nodded politely back at her, glad once again that he had a reputation for remaining reserved.

She shifted from one foot to the other and glanced at him, obviously wanting to ask him a question. He raised an eyebrow at her. She took a step back.

_"So, how do I look?"_ she'd inquired, those big eyes pleading for something along the lines of, _'Like Phineas' dream-come-true. I'm sure he'll notice you.'_

But Ferb couldn't tell her something like that. Not because he didn't want to, but because he could never lie to her. Dresses or makeup just didn't have that effect on Phineas yet. He treated all girls the same way. If Isabella had asked him for a dance, he would have happily complied, but she'd been too disappointed to act that desperate tonight. Ferb was glad she hadn't. It annoyed him to no end when Isabella made her whole life revolve around Phineas. But what could he say to a question like that?

_"Enchanting." _The word had almost spoken itself. An instant later, he would have sworn someone else had walked by and replied to Isabella. But there was no one near, and she was beaming at him.

_"Well, that's nice of you to say,"_ she'd laughed and turned to see where Phineas was again. She spotted him talking to a group of people and sighed.

_"Do you think he'll save the last dance for me?"_ had been her next question. Ferb shrugged. He hadn't meant to seem indifferent. He hoped Phineas would.

_If he doesn't, it's his loss, _he'd said sincerely. Isabella had smiled again and, the next second, was gone. She danced with several other boys during the course of the evening, and had even ended up with Phineas once or twice. Ferb had watched from afar as usual, glad that he'd cheered her up. The evening had dragged by. Ferb had taken out a flashlight and his ragged copy of _The Odyssey_. He kept glancing over the top of his book, though, to see where Isabella was. He told himself doggedly that he was concerned for her; it was her first dance, and he was looking out for her.

But the last dance had been announced at just the time Ferb lost sight of Isabella for too long and stood up to locate her. Why the DJ would end with a spotlight dance was incomprehensible to Ferb. Anyway, he made the mistake of being too near the dance floor. And when it had happened, he and Isabella decided to go along with it. So, they had danced together again, and he had another chance to listen to her fretting about Phineas. She was inconsolable because he hadn't acted like he'd cared.

It was what she'd said to him at the end of the dance that had later made him admit his heart was aching. It was a simple comment, spoken in gratitude. _"I'm so glad you put up with me."_ She pushed her hair back, dipping her head in that self-conscious fashion she used to display around Phineas. He realized in that moment that she knew perfectly well how desperate she was. A wave of anger toward Phineas for putting her through all that had come over him, startling him. He tried to maintain his expression, but must have failed because she asked him if he was all right.

He nodded bravely, averting his gaze. _"I've got to see if Mom's gotten here yet,"_ he told her as an excuse. He moved to the edge of the crowd and texted Linda. She texted him back seconds later to say that she was in the parking lot.

Ferb had collected Phineas and prepared to leave. Isabella hugged Phineas goodbye as he walked out the door. Ferb came next. For some reason, he hadn't expected her to hug him, too, but she did. He should have put his hands on her back, but his cheek had been against hers for the briefest moment, and he was too startled to react.

_"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow,"_ she said. _"Chalk that one up to another failure, I guess."_

_ "I'm sorry,"_ he'd replied.

_"Yeah. Me, too."_ She shrugged. _"Well, I guess we've got a whole summer coming up."_

_Yes,_ he thought. _We've got a whole summer… _He'd quickly walked away.

But he turned and looked back. She was framed in the doorway, waving, probably trying to catch Phineas' attention. Apparently, he'd watched the breeze tug at her hair and her dress too long, because Phineas called to him.

_"Ferb, come on!"_ Phineas had looked back, too. Ferb glanced from him to Isabella, wondering if Phineas would notice how breathtaking she was. Phineas' eyes wandered briefly to Isabella, but all he did was wave with a nonchalance that annoyed Ferb.

Isabella lifted her hand, but Phineas had turned away by then. She dropped her arm with a discouraged air. Her eyes met Ferb's for the last time. He meant to spread his hands sympathetically, but he never got that far.

Holding her stare suddenly became the most incredible experience in the universe. In that moment, he thought, _I love you._ The moment afterwards, of course, he was hurrying to the car, striking the phrase from his thoughts, and assuring himself that he hadn't actually let that thought into his mind.

But later that night, he knew he had. That starry moment had connected with a hundred others near and far apart in time. Suddenly, his memory was bringing up moments from the distant past, the evening in the backyard when she'd accidentally grabbed his hand instead of Phineas'. His thoughts of Isabella simply merged into a glowing kaleidoscope of stars and sparkles. Some nights, when he drifted into the state between waking and sleeping, they came swirling back to haunt him.

It wasn't fair to either him or her; he hated the way he loved her, couldn't stop thinking about her, especially on still, warm nights like this. It was at times like these when he wished the temperature would begin to drop. It was somehow easier not to think about her in the colder, winter evenings. Now, dropping his head onto the arm of the couch, he groaned quietly. Hadn't he already been through this with one girl? It had taken long enough for those feelings to fade.

"Ferb? What are you doing down here?" Ferb shot upright, blinking at Phineas in alarm.

"It's morning," Phineas informed him. Ferb looked toward the window. Sure enough, the sun was shining through.

"How in the world…" he muttered confusedly as he pulled himself off the couch. Phineas was far ahead of him.

"Come on! We've got to go to school," he sang out from the kitchen. Ferb shook his head and went upstairs to get dressed.

Ferb was still half-asleep when the bus pulled up. Isabella wasn't at the bus stop, so he cast a glance toward her house. She was running full-force toward the bus. Ferb put one foot on the bottom step of the bus and reached his hand toward her, ignoring the bus driver's protests of, "Hey, I got a schedule to keep!" Isabella reached the bus, breathless. Ferb grabbed her hand and swung her aboard. She landed neatly in a seat beside Phineas.

"I thought your mother was driving you to school now," Phineas greeted her calmly.

"Didn't have time today…had…band audition," Isabella panted.

"Oh, that's right! I guess today is the day. Do you think they'll do okay?" Phineas asked as Ferb sat in an empty seat a row behind them.

"They should, the way they've been practicing," Isabella replied. She looked over the back of the seat. "Hi, Ferb." Ferb waved at her and looked down at his homework again.

"Well, I'm glad you could ride the bus today," Phineas remarked. Isabella sat down quickly.

"Really? Why?" she asked.

"So I could see you and Ferb do that synchronized pull-and-toss thing," Phineas replied. "You used to do that all the time the year before last when you were late."

"We did?" Isabella queried. "Oh, yeah. I guess we did."

"Remember, Ferb?" Phineas asked. Ferb looked up briefly again and nodded. He remembered. He couldn't believe Isabella had forgotten that. Well, he could-but still, it stung a little.

Ferb went back to checking his homework until the bus pulled up to Silverview. Isabella engaged Phineas in conversation until they parted ways to go to their lockers. As Ferb looked around, he thought he saw Sandra slinking around out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked again, she was gone.

As Isabella reached her locker, Silverview's principal, Miss Holcomb, walked briskly toward her. "Isabella Garcia-Shapiro?" she asked.

"Yes," Isabella said cautiously.

"Did you have an…incident with Sandra Rivera the other day?" Miss Holcomb inquired.

"Um, yes, but she-"

"I'd like to take some time to discuss the occurrence in my office," the principal interrupted.

"What do you want to-"

"Come with me, please," Miss Holcomb cut her off. Isabella hesitated for a moment, and then followed her. On the way, she passed Ferb.

_What's this all about,_ he mouthed. Isabella spread her hands helplessly. Ferb paused for a moment, thinking. Then, with an uneasy feeling quickly growing in the pit of his stomach, he hurried toward Sandra's locker.

The locker was emptied out, and there was _caution tape_ around it. Ferb stared at it. He'd hoped his fears wouldn't be so easily confirmed. If those evil girls had blamed Isabella for anything…

Ferb had to go to class, but that didn't keep him from worrying right until lunch period. He and Phineas looked for Isabella there, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Why was Isabella sent to the principal's office?" Phineas inquired when he heard the news.

"I don't know, but it has something to do with Sandra." Ferb shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Hey, there she is!" Phineas pointed to a tall figure moving toward their table. Ferb jumped to his feet. _Finally._

"What happened, Isabella?" Phineas asked. Isabella just shook her head; her long hair was pulled over her face, but Ferb could hear her crying.

"I'm suspended," she finally sobbed. "I have to go home. I just had to call Mom and tell her. She was so disappointed." Ferb threw his head back.

"What happened?" Phineas asked.

"Sandra's locker-and two of her friend's-got emptied out yesterday," Isabella explained. "Whoever did it stole a bunch of stuff and covered their books in syrup."

"That's bizarre," Ferb remarked, his eyes narrowing.

"It doesn't matter; the superintendent thinks I did it," Isabella cried. "They have a girl on camera who has black hair and looks a lot like me." She sank into a chair. "Sandra told them what I said about bothering my friends over my dead body. They believe her," she added.

"They've gone too far," Ferb said aloud in spite of himself.

"But that's not the worst part," Isabella added.

"There's more?" Phineas' eyes widened.

Isabella sighed. "Some of the things that the girls reported missing were pretty valuable," she said dully. "Like jewelry and mp3 players. Miss Holcomb is going to talk to my mother, but if those things aren't found or returned…" she trailed off.

"Then, what?" Ferb demanded.

"There could be charges," Isabella barely whispered. Phineas nearly fell off his

seat.

"No way." He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Isabella. We'll always be your friends."

"Thanks, Phineas," Isabella replied. "I may need them." She got up. "I'm supposed to be out front waiting for Mom," she said as she walked away.

"Don't worry, Isabella," Phineas called after her. "We'll get this straightened out; you'll see!"

She tried to smile, but ended up running out of the cafeteria instead. Suddenly, Ferb walked after her.

"Hey, what about lunch?" Phineas shouted into the crowd, but Ferb didn't hear him. He walked out front to the grassy area and found Isabella standing under a small tree.

He stood there with her, waiting together in a kind of silent dread. When she started to cry, she held onto the tree instead of him. He put his hands on her arms, giving her something to feel.

"You're missing your lunch period," she said with a sniff. He squeezed her arms lightly.

"Suddenly, I'm not all that hungry," was his response.

Her mother drove up just then. She didn't say a word to him, just walked slowly toward the car. She climbed in, and the door shut behind her. Ferb watched the car drive away until it was a speck on the outbound road.

Then, he hurried inside to class, hardly noticing his hunger-he'd lied-or the fact that he was five minutes late for Biology.

_**A/N: Wow, I didn't think I'd say this, but writing Ferbella is fun! There's just such a feeling of mysteriousness about them. Oh, and all thanks to HigherSilver for all her encouragement.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Ferb waited through his classes-waited for the teachers to stop lecturing in a monotone about subjects he already knew far more about, waited through the whispers and misconduct of other less attentive students, waited for the clock hands to rotate through just one more hour…At about the moment when he thought he'd go insane waiting for the last bell, it came, two minutes late. Ferb grabbed his backpack and walked out against the crowd of students, looking for Phineas.

He spotted his brother at the halfway point, a long, deserted side hallway where the administrative offices were located. Only people like the principal, superintendent, and staff members normally walked through that hallway, so usually, Phineas and Ferb would meet each other there and catch the bus together. Today, though, an office in that hallway was their after-school destination.

"So, we're going to try to convince Miss Holcomb to give us the surveillance tapes that show the girl who robbed Sandra and her friends and try to prove Isabella's innocence?" Phineas asked as Ferb walked ahead of him down the hall.

Ferb nodded. Phineas lagged behind a little, hesitating. Ferb looked back and impatiently motioned to him to catch up.

"Ferb, what if we find out more than we wanted to?" he asked. Ferb stopped short.

"You don't actually think Isabella would do something like this," he said incredulously.

"No! Of course not." Phineas stood on one foot and then the other. "It's just that…I don't know; she's our friend. I'd be really disappointed if we did see her on the tape."

"Well, we won't, because she didn't do it," Ferb snapped. He reached the wooden door labeled, _Principal_, and knocked.

Miss Holcomb opened the door a crack and raised her eyebrows at the pair. "Phineas and Ferb," she said wryly, a change from her usual crisp, official tones. "How'd I guess you'd show up?"

"Could we please talk to you?" Phineas begged. "It's about-"

"Your friend. I know. She was suspended due to class procedure, and will remain so for the full period of time unless some piece of evidence pops up that leads us to believe she is innocent," Miss Holcomb interrupted.

"But-"

"If you do not have that evidence, I'm afraid you're wasting your time coming here begging for me to let her off easily. I don't even have the authority to do so. Why don't you boys go home?"

"Just give us a chance!" Ferb stepped back. He hadn't meant to raise his voice. He hated conflict, so shouting was a very rare happening for him. Even the principal knew it, and stared at him. Silence prevailed as Ferb's fervent British accent echoed down the hall.

Miss Holcomb pulled her door open. "Very well, then," she yielded. "If you two think you have a good idea." Phineas and Ferb silently followed her inside.

"Now, just exactly what do you think you can do about this?" Miss Holcomb asked.

"We want to see the tapes. Only the ones from the hallway that showed the girl from last night," Phineas proposed. "It was Ferb's idea."

"We've already reviewed the tapes. The girl had her hair pulled over her face, very similarly to Isabella, though it is impossible to see a close-up, full view of the culprit's face," Miss Holcomb returned.

"But we know Isabella. And with the specialized computer programs that Ferb made, it's possible that we can pinpoint details that everyone else would miss," Phineas reasoned. Miss Holcomb looked doubtful.

"Please just let us see the tapes," Ferb entreated her. "We only want to help a friend."

Miss Holcomb pursed her lips. "All right," she said.

"Yes!" Phineas exulted. Ferb clasped his hands.

"I'll see the superintendent about this," Miss Holcomb halted them. "I don't have the authority to show students surveillance footage without his say-so."

"Can you ask him now?" Ferb's voice became more urgent.

"Yes, yes, I'll go talk to him. Wait here." Miss Holcomb went out, shutting the door behind her.

Two minutes later, Mr. Gray opened the door. Ferb had only seen the school's superintendent once or twice. He was a jovial-looking, middle-aged man with a twinkle in his eye.

"Hello, boys. Miss Holcomb tells me you want to help us with the locker case," he greeted them.

"Yes. We just want to look at the tape," Phineas explained.

"Hmm. This is highly irregular, but then again, you two are Phineas and Ferb." Mr. Gray thought it over. He nodded. "Perhaps your expertise will be useful. I'm going to let you see the tape-but only here, on the school grounds. You cannot remove the surveillance tape, or you will face suspension." He studied the boys. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," they replied.

"All right."

"May we start now?" Ferb asked anxiously.

"That's up to your parents," Mr. Gray replied. "You should probably call them; you've already missed the bus, and they'll be worried."

"Aw, man! You're right. Mom's going to have a fit." Phineas pulled his phone out. Ferb excused himself and walked into the hall.

He dialed a number on his phone and waited quietly. Any other person in the world-even his brother-he preferred to text so that he didn't have to talk to them. But texting Isabella meant that he didn't get to hear her voice.

"Ferb! What's going on?" she asked.

"Phineas and I going to analyze the surveillance tape," Ferb told her.

"Oh, that's great! Do you think you'll find anything that'll get me back in school?" Isabella inquired.

"We'll try. Don't worry," Ferb replied.

"Easy for you to say. Are you guys still coming to the party on Friday?"

"Is it still on?" Ferb asked, surprised. He had told Phineas about the party and shown him the invitation, but he would have thought Isabella's mother wouldn't allow the party now.

"If you're coming. Maybe no one else will, but if Phineas-and you-are there, it'll still be the best time ever," Isabella said. "Mom doesn't believe that I stole anything when she heard the whole story, so she said I could still have the party if I wanted."

"We'll be there," Ferb promised. She giggled on the other end of the phone.

"Great! Tell Phineas I said thanks for doing all this for me," Isabella sang out. "Oh, and thank you, too. I've got to go, okay?" With that, she hung up.

_Goodbye, Isabella. Nice talking to you, too._ Ferb slowly hung up the phone and walked back toward Phineas.

"I called Mom. She said it was good that we were helping Isabella, and she's bringing some of our software over to plug into the main computer," Phineas said. "She should be here soon."

Ferb nodded. Restlessly, he moved away from his brother and wandered out into the main hall. He felt relieved when Linda finally walked in with a few CD's.

"Thanks, Mom," he said, taking the software from her.

"Are you going to be home in time for dinner?" Linda asked. Ferb shrugged. Linda frowned. "I don't want you working here too late," she said. "If you haven't called home by seven, I'm coming to get you. Fair?" Ferb nodded. "Okay."

"Hi, Mom! How'd the audition go?" Phineas called, skipping around the corner.

"I thought it went well. We should know in a couple of weeks." She glanced at her watch. "I've got to go home, but remember, call home before too long."

"We will," Phineas said. Ferb was already halfway to the room where the surveillance computers were kept. Phineas soon followed him. Ferb had already installed the software and was studying the tape from last night.

"Six P.M.," Phineas commented, pointing to the time at the top of the screen. "Nothing." Ferb fast-forwarded the tape. At seven forty-five, a figure in a heavy coat appeared.

"There we go," Phineas murmured. Ferb paused the tape as the figure reached the first locker and zoomed in.

"Crystallize," he instructed Phineas. The redhead pushed a button, and the fuzzy close-up became clearer. Still, the face could not be seen.

"Wait! Look at that." Phineas pointed to a light spot in the person's dark hair. Ferb was already clicking on the spot. The screen focused in on-a bow. A light-colored bow.

"Isabella still wears her bow sometimes," Phineas remembered. Ferb sighed.

"We're going to have to colorize the picture," he said.

"That could take a while," Phineas remarked. Ferb stood and stretched.

The bow worried him. Sandra, Amy, and Jess couldn't have known about Isabella's signature accessory. They hadn't been to middle school with her or seen her before this year. If they had vandalized their own lockers, as Ferb had suspected, they wouldn't have put a bow in the hair of the girl they'd chosen to dress up as Isabella. Ferb went back through his mind to anyone who might have told Sandra anything about Isabella.

Then, he remembered. Ginger! She was trying out for cheerleader this year, had grown amazingly pretty, and had even captured Baljeet's attention. She could be popular enough to talk to Sandra. Ferb texted her quickly while Phineas waited for the picture to burst into color. He hoped she'd give a quick answer.

**What's up? **A reply came back a few seconds later.

**Did you talk to Sandra R. or friends?** Ferb typed back.

**Yesterday. Third period. Great girls,** the response read. Ferb rolled his eyes.

**Did you tell them about Isa's bow?** he asked.

**What?**

** Her bow. Remember anything in the conversation about it?** Ferb asked desperately.

**I think it came up-was telling them about my pals. They sounded like they wanted 2 get 2 know Isa. I was happy :D** Ginger replied.

**Thanks. All I needed**, Ferb texted back.

**TTYL**, the last reply came. Ferb put his phone back in his pocket.

"Eighty-five percent done." Phineas pointed to the screen. "I hope it hurries so we can-" He was interrupted by Ferb's stomach growling viciously. "I knew you shouldn't have missed lunch, bro."

Ferb turned and looked Phineas in the eye. "Or maybe, you _should_ have missed lunch," he said coolly. Phineas frowned.

"What do you-"

"Ninety-five percent done," Ferb interrupted him. Mr. Gray opened the door a crack.

"Have you found anything yet?" he questioned.

"Perfect timing! I think we're just about to," Phineas replied. "Come on in." Mr. Gray took a seat behind the boys. The screen burst into color.

Ferb took another look at the bow, zooming in until the picture was barely clear. _I knew it._

"That's not Isabella's bow," Phineas cried. "That's just…okay, whoever picked that thing out has a very sick sense of fashion." Ferb's face slowly broke into a smile. The bow in the girl's hair was a blinding, neon pink. The fabric was the wrong texture, and it even had small pink lines running through it.

"Just because it's not the bow you recognize doesn't really prove anything, I'm afraid," Mr. Gray objected.

"Yes, but this is our next-door neighbor. We've known her since we were little," Phineas pointed out.

"Besides, Sandra and her friends are highly skilled at lies and playacting. They've been here for three years now; everyone knows that. I have some information from one of my friends that they've been asking questions about Isabella. Wouldn't you think that they'd be likely to frame her for something she didn't do, just because she challenged them on her first day in this school?" Ferb's voice rose a little with his fervor until he realized he was talking again and went back into silence.

Mr. Gray raised an eyebrow. "There's no need for shouting; I am sitting approximately two feet behind you," he rejoined. "However, I see your point. Since she hasn't been proven guilty of anything, I think I can lift the suspension. After all, I know you two wouldn't be defending her if she didn't deserve it."

Ferb sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said.

"Don't thank me; it was your detective work that prevailed," Mr. Gray replied. "However, if any new evidence is uncovered against this girl, she will be suspended again."

"All right! We can finally pack up and go home," Phineas rejoiced as the superintendent left the room. Ferb ejected their software and gathered it up as Phineas called Linda.

Ferb was just about to call Isabella and tell her the good news when a ringtone played from his pocket.

_I'd like to make myself believe/That planet Earth turns slowly…_ Ferb smiled softly to himself as he answered the phone.

"Hey, Ferb. I was trying not to call and bother you, but I just had to know! I called Phineas, but I couldn't get him. What happened?" Isabella asked.

"You're back in school. Mr. Gray will probably call your mom in a few minutes," Ferb was glad to tell her.

"Oh, thank you! You're wonderful, Ferb," Isabella exclaimed excitedly. "I owe you two. How'd you do it?"

"The bows were different," Ferb explained. "The other girl's was neon pink." He could feel Isabella making a disgusted face on the other side of the phone.

"That's just not right," she declared. "Wait; how'd they know about my bow?"

"Ginger," Ferb said simply.

"Oh. Probably," Isabella murmured. "She hit it off with them. I didn't think she'd do that to me, though."

"She didn't mean to," Ferb assured her.

"Well, that's good. It's getting harder in our troop now that Ginger and Gretchen are getting to be popular nowadays," Isabella chatted on. "They miss meetings to be with their new crowd that they gathered over last summer. But anyway, I'm just glad this is cleared up." She chuckled. "I guess I see now what you meant by high school being tough."

"And that was just day one," Ferb replied.

"Hey, Ferb! Mom's here," Phineas called.

"I heard that," Isabella said. "I guess I'd better go. Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ferb hung up the phone and followed Phineas. The matter of the girl on the screen hadn't been solved, he thought. He wanted Isabella proven innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt, not just reinstated in school. For now, though, that was enough. He needed to go home. It was getting late, and after a day like that, dinner would be thoroughly appreciated.

_**A/N: Not as much Ferbella, I know. I'm setting up for the next chapter here. Review Replies! Wait, do I have enough review replies to reply to my reviews? Oh, well. Review Replies!**_

HigherSilver: Thank you! I thought the backstory may have been overdone, especially because I wrote it at about midnight when I was supposed to be asleep. But I think late hours help my writing, for some weird reason…Thanks again for reviewing this!

Luther West Jr: Thank you for reviewing. Glad you liked it!

ayahsad167: Whoa, whoa, whoa, and whoa.

Make up for this? What do I have to make up for, if the story, as you said yourself, was well-written? Is Phinbella a staple for P and F stories? I think not. Can I not try something new? By the way, my next fic is going to be Vanessa-centered and dark, with an element of horror and maybe the slightest touch of Ferbnessa. Seriously, though, thank you for reading and reviewing this. ;)

_**See you later, guys!-Laptop**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Ferb didn't have a chance to talk to Isabella all of the next day. At lunch, he caught a glimpse of her with Gretchen, but he didn't go over to her. The Fireside Girl leader and second-in-command of the troop were in each other's faces…arguing. From what could be seen of the Fireside Girls' table, everyone was getting in on the act.

He turned away, but the scene bothered him all of the rest of the day. His last class ended a little early, so he strolled down to Isabella's last class, intending to take a peek through the door.

The last of the students were trickling out of class already, streaming toward their lockers intent on freedom. Ferb got out of their way and stood beside the door, watching for Isabella. When she didn't come out, he concluded she must have left already and searched the hallways for a while when she wasn't at her locker. Unexpectedly, he caught a glimpse of a girl through the library door and stopped short.

Silverview's library was a too-small, dusty joke of a room. The students, with the exception of a group of nerds that Baljeet used to hang out with, barely knew where it was. It was a good place to go if one wanted to be isolated. Ferb put his hand on the doorknob, wondering if he should go in. He could clearly see Isabella inside, sitting at a table resting her head on her hands. Her books were scattered around her.

But anyone who knew Isabella also knew that the last thing she wanted to be was alone. Even if she didn't admit she wanted someone, even if it wasn't Phineas who came to her rescue, she always needed to talk about whatever was wrong with her world.

Ferb opened the door, and her head shot up. "Just me," Ferb quietly reassured her. Isabella put her head back down on the table. Ferb walked over and stood beside her, waiting for her to speak. He knew she eventually would.

"Gretchen and Ginger are two changed people," she spoke at last, her voice muffled and a little shaky. "I don't believe what they're doing to me. We had a huge argument that kind of carried on all day about Sandra and Amy and those girls." Ferb sat beside her on another rickety chair. Surely Gretchen and Ginger didn't believe Sandra over Isabella.

"I was telling them about how Phineas-and you-helped me out the other day and said that I couldn't believe Sandra and her friends would lie about me," Isabella recounted, looking up. "Ginger said she didn't think they'd lie and started telling the girls how nice Sandra was. I was upset that they didn't believe me." She looked up at Ferb. "It got out of hand," she admitted. "Ginger and Gretchen took Sandra's side against me. They won't talk to me, and now that Gretchen's the temporary troop leader, the rest of the girls might not either."

"Wait. Gretchen is in charge of your troop?" Ferb asked. Isabella nodded.

"It's in the Fireside Girl rulebook," she said. "If any troop leader is suspected or charged with any sort of unlawful behaviors, they're considered unfit and removed from their position until proven absolutely innocent." She burst into tears again. "It's a disgrace," she cried, "but I thought I could stand it. Now, my best friends won't talk to me!" In her distress, she forgot to make sure she was balanced correctly on the rickety chair, shifted a bit, and nearly fell from her seat. Ferb quickly reached out and caught her in his arms.

"Oh!" She gasped, stretched across his lap. "Sorry." She blinked; her tearstained face was inches from his own. For a moment, Ferb sat frozen. He didn't want to move; if he did, he knew his arms would tighten around her. Right then, there was nothing he wanted to do more than hold her there and never let her go until he'd made her aware of the confusing feelings she'd caused in him for so long.

Instead, he stood up, her arms still clinging awkwardly to his neck, and set her gently on the floor. "It's all right," he soothed her in his unruffled, polished accent. "You're just upset." She let go of him and stepped back, stroking her hair back from her face.

"They've no right to do that to you, Isabella," he said firmly. "But I'm sure the girls will find that friendship trumps popularity in time."

"What if they don't?" Isabella asked, beginning to gather her books from the floor.

Ferb didn't answer. He was too uncertain that he could assure Isabella that the girls would come around without starting to specify all the reasons why no one could ever stay away from her. Instead, he helped her gather her books and walked her out of the library, gently steering her to her locker with an arm around her shoulder. She walked along willingly with him, not seeming to notice his closeness. He didn't mind. As long as he could be there for her, everything else was all right with him.

"Shouldn't you put your books away?" she asked when they were almost to her locker. Ferb groaned. His locker was on another hallway.

"You're right," he said as she bent to open her locker. He absently realized that he could almost see her turning the dial from where he was. Then, on an impulse, he moved over a little. He wasn't sure why he did, but he quickly memorized the combination.

"Ferb!" Phineas came running over suddenly. Isabella barely brightened up, Ferb noticed. She must have been very troubled.

"We missed the bus. Where were you?" Phineas inquired. "I was waiting. Oh, and Isabella, your mom's here."

"Okay. I bet she'd be glad to drive you guys home with us," Isabella offered.

"Sounds good to me," Phineas declared cheerfully. Ferb nodded and ran to put his books away. He met Isabella and Phineas in the parking lot and got into Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro's car, thanking her for the ride.

"So, why did you miss the bus, boys? You're usually so punctual," Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro remarked as Isabella hurriedly slid in after Phineas. Isabella turned to Ferb and shook her head, obviously unwilling to relate the day's occurrences.

"Late class," Ferb said quickly before Phineas could reply. It wasn't a lie. Isabella's class had run a bit late.

"Oh, is that what happened?" Phineas remarked.

"Yeah. For both of us," Isabella made excuse. Ferb frowned. He hadn't expected Isabella to use that explanation on Phineas. As the ride went on, however, Ferb realized that Isabella wasn't talking much. She was probably too worried she'd have no friends soon.

When the car pulled up to the Flynn-Fletcher household, Ferb motioned Isabella to follow him. She complied as Phineas made a beeline for the house, probably in search of after-school snacks.

"Don't stay too long, Isa; you have homework," Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro called, pulling into her own driveway. Left alone, Isabella turned to Ferb.

"What?" she asked, all at once strangely defensive.

"I just wondered why you didn't tell Phineas the truth," Ferb replied. "No need to"-

"Well, I wanted to; he just wouldn't understand," Isabella interrupted him. "He never understands, Ferb!" She twisted her hands, suddenly going from defensive to slightly embarrassed. "And-well, you do." She cocked her head at him with a sheepish half-smile. Ferb shook his head, not understanding what she meant.

"Look, there's a chance that Phineas might start thinking the way the girls are, especially if Gretchen or Ginger keep backing Sandra. There's a split here, and you know how easy it is to turn his head any direction," Isabella explained. "I just don't want to lose him, too."

"I don't think Phineas would think ill of you," Ferb defended his brother. "We've known you since you were four years old."

"So have my girls. I just don't feel like explaining the whole day to Phineas right now. He'll know soon enough at the party tomorrow if no one shows," Isabella countered.

"Oh, you're too afraid of what he thinks," Ferb insisted. Isabella placed her hands firmly on his shoulders.

"Don't argue with me, Ferb," she half-pleaded, half-demanded in that serious, adorable way-at least, it was to him-that got her anything she wanted most times. "This is important." She stepped back and looked him in the eye. "Come on; I can count on you, right?" He nodded obediently. "Okay, thanks. I've got to go." She skipped through the tall grass in the front yard. Suddenly, she turned back and walked toward him.

"Thanks for everything you've been doing," she added. "It's nice that you listen, because it sure feels like no one else is right now." Ferb, absorbing her words, failed to even give a thumbs-up as Isabella walked away. She had even forgotten to add that last part…

"You're my best friend!" She called the words out breezily as she opened her front door.

Ferb rolled his eyes. Oh, well. At least he was apparently of some comfort to her. And suddenly, he knew exactly what he was going to do with that locker combination.

"Ferb! Mom has pie!" Phineas hollered from an open kitchen window. Ferb slipped quietly inside, tossed his backpack into his room, and headed out the screen door with a blueprint in his hand.

This, of course, brought Phineas straight after him. Ferb sighed. He'd hoped his brother wouldn't notice. But of course, Phineas was drawn to anything that looked like a huge project. And all Ferb wanted to do was practice a little horticulture.

"Are you going to make something?" Phineas asked, plodding after Ferb into the middle of the backyard.

"Just a genetically manipulated hybrid," Ferb replied offhandedly.

"Need any help?" Phineas asked. Ferb calmly spread out his blueprint.

"No."

Phineas stepped back, looking a little surprised.

"It's for someone, Phin," Ferb explained. "I want to do this one myself."

"Oh." Phineas' expression took on a sly look. "Is it for a girl?" Ferb whirled around. How was it that Phineas could spot anyone else's romance, but remain totally oblivious to the girl across the street?

"Yes," Ferb responded simply. Phineas walked around in front of him.

"Are you going to tell me who?" he asked curiously. Ferb shook his head.

"Are you going to tell me what you're making?" Phineas continued. Ferb shook his head.

"Am I ever going to hear about it?" Phineas questioned.

"Not if all goes according to plan," Ferb replied, drawing a small white packet out of his pocket.

"Okay, I get it. You want some privacy." Phineas chuckled and backed dramatically out of the yard.

Left alone, Ferb carefully opened the packet. He'd been saving the special formula for a while now. He didn't know if he should be doing this for Isabella, but he knew it would appeal to her own special personality and brighten her days. However, it could also turn her head from Phineas. Isabella had just admitted that Phineas didn't understand her, though. Maybe this would help her in the end.

Ferb shrugged off his thoughts. Isabella would never know who had done this for her, anyway. He would make her feel special until her friends came back or she made new friends, she'd forget about it, and the issue would resolve itself. He needed to follow an impulse, for once in his life.

He buried the contents of the packet a few inches away from the ancient tree in the backyard, and carefully out of sight of Isabella's house. The sprout that would soon appear would have to stay there for now. Tomorrow, when it grew bigger, he could hide it in the little shed that his father had built next to the house for storing garden supplies.

Ferb patted the soil down over the seeds with sweaty palms. His heart was already racing at the thought of what he was going to do tomorrow. Even the thought of doing something like this was overstepping the self-imposed limits of what was fair game when it came to Isabella. He knew he'd have to fight the wavering uneasiness all night. Maybe he wouldn't have the courage to actually go through with it in the morning.

Ferb stood up and walked for the door. Twice, he turned to dig up his creation. The second time, he had taken two steps toward the spot when a firefly swirled around it. Ferb blinked, watching the creature. The firefly landed on the newly-disturbed ground and flashed twice. Ferb held his breath. He couldn't imagine where the firefly had come from; their mating season was long over. The next instant, the firefly was gone. Ferb decided to call Isabella. After all, she had her insect knowledge patch.

The raven-haired girl was positioned stomach-down on her bed, tapping a pencil on her paper and then annoyedly erasing the resulting stray marks.

_It's you and me and we're runnin' this town, and/It's me and you and we're shakin' the ground, and-_

Isabella grabbed her phone and pushed a button. "Hi, Ferb. What's up?" she asked.

"Hey, this may sound crazy, but have you seen any fireflies around here lately?" Ferb asked.

"Oh, yeah! Phineas was genetically engineering fireflies that would glow all year long the other day," Isabella replied. "You had that after school physics class that they let you into. I guess he didn't quite get all of them to a suitable habitat."

"Oh. All right," Ferb murmured. There was a silence.

"Are you there, Ferb?"

"Yes. I was just curious. Sorry to bother you," Ferb answered.

Isabella snorted. "You didn't bother me. When I think of how many times I've had you to thank just this past week…Where are you, anyway?" she changed the subject. "I can hear the wind blowing, but I can't see you from my window."

"Isabella, we have another half of the backyard," Ferb returned.

"Oh, yeah. I guess so." They both chuckled and fell into a comfortable silence. Isabella settled herself on her back. Just talking to Ferb made her feel warmer. Secure. Lo-

Suddenly, laying there with her window open and Ferb on the phone didn't feel so comfortable. The silence lengthened as Isabella's mind swirled crazily.

"Isabella? Are you still there?" Isabella snapped back to the present.

"Yes. I have to get back to my homework, though," she said, her uneasiness sounding in her voice.

"Are you okay?" Ferb asked. Isabella slid off her bed. He talked so much around her, she realized suddenly. Why did he have to talk that much?

"Yeah. I just have to go. 'Bye." She hung up quickly, hoping that he wouldn't think anything of it.

"What just happened?" Isabella said aloud. She was annoyed at the thought that had crossed her mind and unsettled because, for some strange reason, she couldn't shake it.

_Oh, come on. He's my best friend, for crying out loud! This is clearly just some misplaced emotion that transferred over to the friendly side of my brain from the part dedicated to Phineas, and it'll be gone tomorrow. _Isabella climbed back onto her bed. _I mean, what on earth does Ferb have that I'd be interested in? Of course, he's sensitive, caring, treats every girl he comes across like royalty, including me, sticks up for me-he's so good at sticking up for me…oh, man. This isn't helping. Ugh! What's wrong with you, Isabella?_

Isabella threw away her pencil and began to think very hard about Phineas, the boy she loved very much. She wasn't sure if the diversion actually worked, or if the worry about her homework finally kicked in and she turned her attention back to her paper. She pulled out her Algebra, the subject she usually couldn't bring herself to touch until the others were done. Fiercely working math problems proved to help, and an hour later, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro was reasonably sure that a strange thought about her neighbor had never crossed her mind, and was almost sure that she hadn't made an issue out of it in her head.

One thing was certain: She'd have to correct those ridiculously and randomly answered math problems later that evening. Isabella put the ruined sheet of paper beside her bed with some blank pages as a reminder to redo the questions and went downstairs to help her mother with dinner.

She decided not to call Ferb back. He'd probably be wondering why she hung up so abruptly, but she'd see him at school the next day. Right now, he was the last person she wanted to talk to. Isabella started to set the table, still trying to calm herself.

"In the morning, I'll look back and laugh," she muttered to herself. "Although, it's not really that's funny…Nah. I'm going to laugh."

She rested her hands on the table and sighed dreamily. "I wonder what Phineas is doing tonight?" There. That felt better. Didn't it? _Yes. Yes, it does. _Isabella sighed and went back to the kitchen drawer for more silverware. Everything was all right. _She_ was all right. Phineas was next door, and the backyard party was tomorrow. She knew at least two people were coming. Isabella shut the silverware drawer and danced back toward the table.

That evening was the first time she ever purposely evoked Phineas-land. She told herself that she had to because she was older now, and more mature. She couldn't tell if that was true or if something else was in the way.

Finally, she gave up in frustration and went back to fixing math problems. She went to bed as soon as she finished the last one, watching the stars shine above the house next door through her window until she fell asleep.

_**There it is; a nice, long chapter. And now to my reviewers!**_

lotorq: Thank you very much. I'm glad the flashback scene wasn't too oversweet too early on.

HigherSilver: Of course you were. I swear, some high school girls…well, you can tell how much I like them.

Luther West Jr: Yay! Another person who reviewed more than once! Thanks; that was my first detective scene, but I ended up the way it turned out. Especially since this chapter is so fluffy :)

Thesmartone1997: I know, right? I started this "just to see if I could," and now, I'm really loving the pairing. Enjoy this chapter!

_**See you soon, guys!-Laptop**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_**A/N: Well, I bet you're all wondering why this is late. I was caught up with some work we're doing. Let's just say it has to do with, me, my family, and plenty of manual labor and leave it at that. In fact, this entire story has been written at odd places and times. So, that's my excuse. Updates may be rather scarce for a while. You've been warned!**_

Ferb darted through the middle hallway on the far left. His heart was pounding in his chest, more from the deed he was about to do than from the running. His steps resonated in his ears. He had arrived at school ten minutes early, exactly according to plan. He had simply told his mother that the bus always arrived late and bicycled to school himself. He did hope that no one would tamper with the rockets on the wheels, though. It had taken him a full hour to finish them.

Ferb slowed down as he reached the rows of lockers reserved for freshmen. He walked purposefully toward Isabella's, ignoring the things his own common sense was shouting at him. He wasn't going to start listening to himself now that all he had to do was leave his gift. Halting before the locker, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the item: A perfect white rose. The outer two thickest petals were silver-colored, giving an illusion of protecting the heart of the flower. Its pure, sweet smell permeated through the hallway. Ferb hadn't anticipated the rose to have such a strong fragrance.

He'd given a lot of thought to the color choice. He'd hung back from using a red rose. The color of true love might look like too much if Isabella found out the roses were from him. The part of him that was in mortal terror hoped that if something went wrong, he could use the "cheer-up-a-friend" excuse. Pink roses, love hopeful and expectant, would have fit the situation-except that he _wasn't_ hopeful and _was_ expectant that if she found out, she'd laugh in his face. Besides, he'd already used a pink rose for another girl on that trip to Paris, and didn't care to revive the memory.

In the end, he'd chosen a white rose: Love dead and rejected. It was perfect; Ferb already knew that his love had no chance before it even started. Still, a white rose was some way to give her encouragement. It was what love would do, dead or not.

Ferb quickly opened Isabella's locker door and left the rose on the top shelf. There was no way she'd miss it; the scent alone would cause her to look up. He locked her door again and hurried toward his classroom.

He was walking down the hall toward the end of third period when Isabella came running toward him. She looked happier than she'd been all week; her face was lit up.

"Ferb!" she hailed him, waving wildly. He slowed to let her catch up.

"Guess what? I found a rose in my locker today!" she began excitedly. "It was just beautiful, so unusual! I don't even know what kind it is." She paused for breath and looked hopefully up at him. "Do you think Phineas could have left it there?"

Ferb stopped short in the hall. Of course that would be Isabella's first assumption. He should have known. Isabella, in her excitement, kept walking until she noticed Ferb wasn't beside her anymore. She paused and strolled back, still gasping a little with anticipation.

"Phineas didn't give it to you," Ferb stated bluntly. Isabella's face fell.

"Oh." She cast another glance at him. "Are you sure? I mean, how would you know?"

"Because I know him, and he hasn't had a breakthrough since yesterday afternoon," Ferb snapped. He slapped himself mentally a second later. What had he expected, Isabella deciding he'd been the giver straight off and declaring an instantaneous undying love for him?

"I'm sorry," he said, casting about for an explanation as usual. She was looking at him strangely, eyebrows down and eyes widened. His heart went into overdrive for a single, terrible moment. Then, she seemed to inwardly push away whatever she was thinking about, and her face went from dismayed to disappointed.

"Yeah. It's okay," she said. "And you're right; Phineas probably didn't leave the flower." She laughed nervously, playing with a strand of hair that had fallen over her face.

"Are you curious to find out who did?" Ferb asked dully. Maybe Isabella wouldn't care who left the rose since she'd given up on the choice of Phineas so easily.

Isabella laughed nervously and backed away from him down the hall. "Of course, I'll try to find out eventually, but, you know, I couldn't begin to think who else would do anything like that, and, you know, I'm in love with Phineas, and all…" Her voice was fading away down the hall. "Anyway, I've got to get to class, Ferb!" With that, she turned around and almost raced away. Ferb grimaced as she walked away.

_Such is my life,_ he thought, turning the corner. At least he had study hall next. He could sit alone and remind himself never to attempt something like that again.

Meanwhile, for reasons of her own, Isabella was also thinking embarrassing thoughts as she flew down the next hall and ducked into a restroom. Thankfully, it was empty. She leaned on the counter and stared confusedly at the shiny handle on the sink.

What in the world had she been thinking back there? With her "forever-crush", as the Fireside Girls called it, on Phineas, the springy, giddy feelings she'd felt when she spied the rose in her locker, the fact that her dreams about the redhead had revived some during the school day…why did she feel hopeful, standing back there looking into his darkened face, that Ferb had left the rose?

He would never think of doing something like that, she reasoned. Even mentioning such an idea to him would probably disquiet him greatly. Ferb knew that she was in love with Phineas. Ferb was such a gentleman, he'd never think of trying to push himself into the middle of that love. Even if it was totally hopeless and didn't make any sense-to Ferb, of course. To Isabella, it made perfect sense, because Phineas was wonderful and dreamy and amazing. Of course, he'd also been oblivious to her for the past six or seven years since she'd first fallen for him, but she knew that at just the right time, he'd come around. Isabella looked into the mirror.

_I'm right, aren't I? I can't just give up on Phineas after all this time! I've been through so much to have him as a best friend through high school. Besides, I'm not in love with Ferb. We're way too much alike. _She stared herself down. _I'm not._ The girl in the mirror blinked. Isabella sighed.

_Am I in denial?_

The restroom door swung open just then, and Isabella hurriedly stood up straight. She looked over her shoulder to see Katie half-hop through the door in that usual odd way she walked. Katie saw her and looked down uncomfortably. Isabella promptly started to leave.

"Hi." Katie's greeting stopped Isabella, and she half-turned back.

"Hi. How is everything?" she asked awkwardly.

"Fine," Katie softly replied. "We're having a harder time reaching our patch goal for the month, since we don't have Phineas and Ferb to help anymore, though."

"Oh." Isabella plucked at the ponytail holder around her arm.

"Isabella?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that whole argument yesterday?" Katie began in a nervous rush.

"Hey, you and Milly were definitely on my side," Isabella remembered. "It's okay."

"No, it wasn't okay. Gretchen and Ginger like that Amy and Sandra are friendly with them, especially since Sandra is judging cheerleading and Ginger's looking for an opening into tryouts. Adyson just wants more control within the troop like she always does, so she went with them." Katie twisted her blond braid around her finger. "And that just leaves Milly, Holly, and me." She shrugged. "We're not the strongest three girls in the world, that's for sure. I should have done more. After all, you stood up for me against them in the first place, which is probably what got us all into this mess."

"It's not your fault," Isabella said firmly. "I'm just glad we're still friends." Katie nodded. The girls Fireside-saluted.

"Why don't you come to the party tonight?" Isabella invited. Katie looked uneasy.

"I don't know," she said slowly.

"It's okay. You can think about it," Isabella reassured her.

"I will," Katie said as Isabella left. The Fireside Girl leader felt much better as she hurried to class. And, since she didn't want to spoil the relieved, warm feeling inside her, Isabella let the matter of the rose slide out of her mind. It was Friday, a time to relax. Better to let the whole thing go.

School let out earlier than usual, which was a blessing for Ferb. He had sat in class for the rest of the day wondering if Isabella suspected him. She had certainly run off in a hurry, although she could have just been acting dramatic. It was hard to tell with Isabella. As he rode the bus home, Ferb decided that she hadn't even thought of him. If she had, he certainly would have heard about it, most likely in a theatrical shower of tears, gasps, and, "_how could you_'s." Yes, the day could definitely have gone worse.

The afternoon dragged on until the party. Even Phineas noticed something strange about Ferb's behavior. It wasn't that he was unusually silent; he was Ferb Fletcher, after all. But he was normally uncaring about what he wore; as long as it was neat and not overly mismatched, it was fine with him. Phineas watched his brother switch a black jacket with a purple one in front of the mirror four times before he decided to say something about it.

"Ferb, it's almost dark. I don't think anyone will notice what you're wearing," he finally piped up. Ferb looked at him for a moment.

"I guess you're right," he said, returning the jacket he was holding at the moment to its hanger.

"Why so nervous, anyway?" Phineas wondered. "It's just going to be our friends tonight."

Ferb nodded and shut his closet door firmly. He considered fussing over clothing a petty thing to do, but after what had happened that afternoon, he was a little more stressed than usual about himself. He hated feeling insecure, and he had told himself firmly that he was not going to think of Isabella's unresponsiveness toward him as a rejection, but he hadn't exactly carried through. _Get over it,_ he coached himself yet again as he followed Phineas downstairs. There was nothing else to do.

"Mom, we're going over to Isabella's now!" Phineas hollered as he bounced through the door. Ferb followed more slowly.

The evening was cool and quiet. Ferb glanced appreciatively at the night sky. Summer nights with their crickets and cicadas were all very well, but they were often scorching or humid. Early fall evenings like this one, when the sun had just set and there was still just enough light to see the branches blowing through the breeze, had a mystical feel about them. It was the perfect time to be outdoors.

Phineas and Ferb crossed the street to Isabella's backyard. She was sitting by herself on the grassy rise in the yard with her back to them. Ferb pushed on ahead of Phineas and quietly walked over to her.

"Hi," he said from behind her. She whirled around, and her mouth broke into a delightful little smile when she saw him.

"Hi," she returned his greeting. "For a moment, I thought you weren't coming." Ferb rolled his eyes.

"Typical worrier," was his comment. "We're early, you know."

"Yeah." Without getting up, she scooted around so that she was looking up at him.

_You're so beautiful,_ he thought. They were both silent; he was watching a ray of moonlight that trailed along her shoulder. It never reached her face, just bathed her left shoulder in light.

"Move." Isabella looked up.

"What?" she asked, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Move." Ferb gestured to his left. "A little to your right." With a puzzled expression, she obeyed. The beam hit her face. Ferb smiled.

"Perfect." He studied her contentedly. She realized what he meant to do and raised an eyebrow.

"What, is your next project going to be painting every person on the continent, and you're experimenting with backgrounds?"

"That might be fun," he answered lightly, forcing himself to turn away. He sat beside her.

"Phineas wouldn't go with it, though," Isabella remarked. "Or at least, he'd make some kind of machine up to get the whole thing done in half an hour."

"Well, that would be the only way to manage it," Ferb defended his brother. Isabella didn't answer. She was staring off past her yard, into the dark blue beyond it.

"I'm kind of upset that Phineas isn't noticing me," she said suddenly. "I mean, not that it isn't normal by now, but it's getting real old, don't you think?"

"Well, you have to be patient," Ferb replied automatically. It was the same kind of answer he'd been giving his neighbor for years now. So far, the response had always been enough for her, but he wondered when it would wear itself out.

"You think I should?" She picked up a small stone that had been nestled inside the grass and turned it over and over in her hand. Ferb swallowed, preparing himself to do his duty and tell her to wait for Phineas as he always had since that summer when they flew to Paris.

"Of course."

"He'll see someday, won't he?" Her eyes looked pleadingly into his. "And it'll all have been worth waiting for."

Ferb nodded bravely. "Of course," he said again. Isabella tossed the pebble away.

"I'm glad you think so," she said, relief evident in her voice. "Because lately, I've been having these crazy feelings-"

"Hi, Isabella!" The two looked toward the entrance to Isabella's backyard. Isabella jumped up joyously.

"You came!" she cried, hugging the three Fireside Girls that had just arrived.

"Ginger was so mad, but we did it anyway," Milly giggled.

"And I'm glad," Holly added. "I always said we should have anyway. Katie talked to all of us, and we decided we were coming. I mean, what could they do, ban us from troop meetings?" Katie's eyes grew wide. Milly tapped Holly on the shoulder.

"Um, Holly? They could do that," she mentioned. "You're scaring Katie."

"Oh, I don't think they'd do that," Isabella assured Katie, throwing her arm around her. "They're still your friends, at least. Besides, their meeting would be pretty empty if they banned you."

"Right!" The girls laughed as they streamed into the yard.

The party went into full swing after that, and Ferb drifted to the sidelines as usual. Isabella, surrounded by her friends, and Phineas, only looked back once. She had been about to casually mention her-what was it, attraction, desire-to Ferb. She was glad the girls had come in at that moment. It would have been a stupid thing to do.

She didn't want to upset the somehow delicate friendship that she and Ferb shared. Isabella had never really done anything that ruffled him before. She didn't think that Ferb had fought with anyone before, but if he did, it would probably be ugly. Not because he would get angry, but because he would go deeper into a shade of silence and disappointment. She was apprehensive of what would have happened. She realized now more than ever that she needed his friendship.

Was it her imagination, or did she really catch him looking over at her more than usual during the evening? She went from, well, honestly, swooning briefly to telling herself to stop for an hour or two. Then, finally unable to contain herself, she walked over to him during a lull in the fun and sat beside him.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked.

"You looked lonely," she replied half-seriously. They regarded each other in the starlight. The moon had been only gently gleaming when the party had started; now, it shone brightly against the blue-black sky.

"So, what'cha thinkin?" Isabella surprised herself by asking. The startled look he gave her was enough to bring her back to earth, and she looked away, blushing. Good thing he couldn't see her in the dark. She wisely didn't try to take the words back. Instead, she put her face in her hands to hide her hot cheeks and smiled away at him.

He shrugged in his usual fashion. "It's late," he said.

"Yeah. I guess our parents will be yelling at us to come home soon," Isabella commented. Ferb leaned back and looked at the stars.

"What's your favorite star?" Isabella blurted out, trying to make conversation. He looked over at her, and she leaned back, too. "I know most people have favorite constellations, but to me, that star over Phineas' and your room beats any constellation I've seen." Ferb cocked his head, but didn't answer her.

"You don't have a favorite star?" she pressed him. He nodded.

"You do? Which one?" she asked. He put his hand over his heart in a protective fashion.

"Secret, huh?" She nudged his arm lightly with her elbow. "You have a lot of secrets, don't you, Ferb?"

He left his arm where it was, and his head turned toward her. Suddenly, Isabella couldn't stand being there anymore. She leapt up and looked toward the yard.

"Ferb, we have to go home!" Phineas called. "Mom just called." Ferb got up too.

"'Bye, Ferb," Isabella said. "Glad you could come."

"Me, too," he replied almost ironically. Isabella wondered if she'd unsettled him, but before she could say another word, he had gone after a jerkily waving Phineas and disappeared out of the yard.

The weekend that followed was a bit lacking. Phineas carried on with his usual schemes, though the yard seemed a bit emptier without Ginger, Gretchen, and Adyson. Since Buford and Baljeet were Ginger and Adyson's boyfriends, they didn't show up either. Isabella felt a little alone, especially since Ferb seemed even more reserved than usual. The second day, he didn't even come out, so Isabella and Phineas were working on an a way to survive on Venus alone.

"I can hardly see the light!" Phineas cried from deep inside the experimental chamber they were building. "Get me out of here!" Isabella pulled the door open absently. Ferb would have loved this. He probably drew the plans for it. So, where was he?

"How was it?" she asked. Phineas shook his head as he took off his space helmet.

"The space suits are flawed," he replied, pushing a handle in the yard. The chamber disappeared into the ground. "I don't think we should even finish the chamber until I work the design out some more."

"Oh. Too bad," Isabella said. Suddenly, she tried again. When she was with Phineas, the pure desperation inside her always caused her to try again.

"Phineas, if you went to Venus and could only take one thing or person with you, what would it be?" she asked. A little cliché, perhaps, but still a solid, simple question.

Phineas scratched his head. "Ferb," he replied quickly. Isabella cast her eyes to the autumn sky.

"Okay, well, two things, then." Phineas pursed his lips, thinking harder this time.

"Perry." Isabella suddenly let the door slam shut and stomped away.

"Isabella? Where are you going?" Phineas called after her. Isabella turned around, but kept walking backwards.

"I don't know, Phineas, but I-I can't be here right now, and you want to know why? It's _maddening_!" she nearly shrieked. She slammed through the gate before she had time to see the confused look on Phineas' face-and nearly collided with her mother.

"Isabella, did you know these things were in your room?" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro asked, holding out an MP3 player and a hand-held videogame in one hand and a charm bracelet and diamond ring in the other. Phineas, who had run after Isabella, stopped short and backed away a little.

"No," Isabella replied, studying the items. "They were in my room?"

Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Mr. Gray gave me a list of the things those girls reported missing," she reported. "I opened your dresser drawer and found these under your clothes." She looked down at her daughter, tears welling in her eyes.

"Can you explain this, Isabella?" she demanded.

"I…" Isabella trailed off, staring helplessly at her mother. This was impossible; this simply couldn't be happening.

Phineas' eyes grew wide. "Isabella!" He turned and walked back through his screen door without another word, leaving his neighbor turning between him and her mother, with nowhere at all to go.

_**Yeah, I know. I warn you guys about updates and then leave you in a cliffhanger. I'll try to get the next chapter out quickly, so see you soon! Oh, and all you lovely Ferbella people wanting Isabella to let Ferb into her heart, please be patient! I know it gets hard to read, but a beautiful ending will come from it that I hope will blow you away. **_

As always, thanks to:

HigherSilver

lotorq

Thesmartone1997

Luther West Jr

Sabrina06

_**Your reviews are appreciated! :)-Laptop**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_** A/N: Hello, it's me, updating at weird hours again. Sigh. Oh, well. After this, we've got one chapter to go; two at the most.**_

Ferb didn't hear the news until Monday morning. He felt guilty about not appearing in the yard Sunday afternoon, but being near Isabella was becoming unbearable for him. He just didn't feel up to the task of looking at her that day. If he had been there, maybe he could have done something. Maybe Isabella wouldn't be suspended again. Maybe Phineas would still be talking to her.

Stealing was something so horrifying to Phineas' innocent mind that the mere thought of one of his friends involved in it put him into shock. He didn't want to talk to Isabella, didn't want to face any kind of reality, and frankly, Ferb was tired of his attitude. Isabella needed someone there; someone helping. With the Fireside Girls caving in off and on to the pressures of their own group, Phineas acting much too wide-eyed for someone in high school, and the authorities against her, was it any wonder that Ferb ended up as her last stand-and madly in love with her? He'd given up pretending, at least to himself, that he wasn't. He needed to know that he loved her and get ready to do anything for her.

Anything being walking decisively toward the gym, Sandra and her friends' favorite haunt in between classes. Ferb avoided confrontations, insults, and most verbal communication, so stalking dramatically into the midst of a clique was normally the last thing he'd think of doing. But he needed to talk to Sandra, see what was going on, and find out if he could do something to make her stop. He'd spent the first two semesters of his freshman year finding out what popular girls could do to the male ego if they were allowed. Ferb hadn't let the girls' unceasing mockery effect him and found it safer to ignore them. This school year, for some reason, they had left him alone. But they were destroying Isabella, and he couldn't let it continue. So, into the line of fire he would go.

He reached the gym and strode to a stop in front of the snickering seniors. Slowly, they sensed him there and looked up. Jess nudged Sandra. She was the last to raise her head. Her bright green eyes met his, and she ever-so-slowly arched an eyebrow.

"Ferb." She rose from the bleacher and faced him. "What're the eyes for now?"

"You know." He barely moved his lips; there was no way he was wasting words on Sandra. "My friend."

Sandra put on her innocent face and glanced around at the girls. Jess smirked. Amy bit her lip.

"You got her suspended," Ferb accused Sandra in a quiet, measured tone. "Just know that I believe her, I will find the truth, and when I do, you had better hope that your parents' high standing will be enough to get you out of trouble."

Sandra stared right back at him and slowly opened her lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied. Ferb didn't move.

"I know you do." He turned to walk away, but Sandra reached out and grabbed his arm.

"You're backing a loser, Ferb," she stated when he turned back toward her. "Like I said, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. And really? Running over here sputtering all over the place like a drama queen girly freshman?" She moved closer and ran her hand over his shoulder. "That's way too childish for you-and you've kind of grown up lately. Tell you what: If you take me some place more private this evening, I might let you argue me into letting the whole thing drop. I'm sure I could convince my parents not to press charges."

Ferb stared at her, half in disbelief, and half in disgust. For a moment, he actually considered the proposition. If it would help Isabella…But there were some things he could not do. The very thought of going anywhere attached to Sandra was making him sick.

"I thought last year I was a joke and a loser myself," he shot back as he broke free of her grasp. Walking quickly away, he pondered why Sandra would even try to get him to go out with her. Perhaps she'd discovered how well-known he and Phineas were. At any rate, he was glad he'd walked away.

Sandra, meanwhile, resumed her seat among the other girls. Amy looked up from her cell phone long enough to ask a question.

"Why'd you make a play for him, Sandy? I thought he was a freak." Sandra didn't look up from her nails.

"He is. To you." Jess flopped off the bleachers.

"Oh, do not tell me that's why we're doing this, just so you could have a new boyfriend. Jared left over the summer, and now suddenly, when you see Ferb protecting little miss Izzy from us at lunch period, you get all interested in taking her down."

"Yeah; I don't think Ferb even likes you very much," Amy put in. Jess smiled condescendingly at her.

"Really, though, Sandra, I'm not sticking around if he's what this is all about. We could get in trouble for framing a little first-year student," Jess pointed out. Sandra swung around.

"This is _not_ about Ferb," she hissed. "This is to show a girl who challenged us who's in charge. We've always done it, and now that we're in the last year, it doesn't matter if we take it to a new level." She smirked. "Besides, it's practice for college."

Jess frowned. "Just know I don't appreciate being the girl in the bow," she declared. Sandra flung her arm around Jess' shoulders.

"Hey, you know I'd have Amy do it, but she'd be sure to mess up in the most stupid way possible." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you do it?" Jess asked quietly. Sandra spread her hands.

"What is with you, all of a sudden?" she asked with a mock-pout. Jess ignored her.

"You wanted to sneak more stuff into her locker after school today so the officials would find it if they search Isabella's stuff," she reminded Sandra. "So, why don't you go?" She fingered the fringe on the edge of her cheerleading outfit. "Because, I'm not."

"You're not," Sandra repeated, uncrossing her legs.

"I stole her locker combination, dressed up as her, and Amy's boyfriend put our stuff in her house over the weekend." Jess got up, picked up a piece of notebook paper off the bleachers, and slapped it on top of Sandra's cell phone. "Your turn." With that, she walked away.

Sandra opened the piece of paper and copied the numbers of Isabella's locker combination onto her phone. "Fine," she muttered.

That afternoon, Sandra lingered in the restroom until the hallways grew hushed. She felt a little nervous; this was, after all, the first time she'd carried out her own schemes. _I swear, I'll kill Jess later,_ she thought, pulling on an oversized hoodie. She crept down the hall to an abandoned tool closet and pulled out a long broom. Holding it in front of her, she carefully reached the wooden handle to the three cameras mounted on the long ceiling and moved them to the left as she went. Finally, she reached Isabella's locker.

It was closed as usual, but there was a beautiful scent coming from it. _Weird_, Sandra thought as she jerked the dial on the door hastily around. As the door swung open, something fell out and landed at her feet. Sandra jumped back and almost screamed, but clamped her mouth shut as she realized that the object was a white rose. It didn't look like anything Sandra had ever seen. She looked around and slipped the flower into her pocket.

Just then, she heard footsteps rounding the corner. Sandra slammed Isabella's locker door shut and started walking quickly away.

"Sandra? Wait up!" Sandra whirled around to see Ginger Hirano walking toward her. What was Ginger doing here? Everyone should have been home!

"I've been looking all over for you!" Ginger took Sandra's arm, steering her toward the doors. At Sandra's confused expression, she halted for a moment. "Did you forget? You were going to watch my routine for cheerleading tryouts and maybe give me some pointers."

"Oh, yeah," Sandra muttered. "Just a minute. You go outside. I'll be there in a sec."

"Okay." Ginger hurried for the doors. "I can't wait for you to see my routine…" her voice echoed down the hall. Muttering something under her breath, Sandra pushed a plastic bag into Isabella's locker and, forgetting to close the door again, ran after Ginger.

Meanwhile, the school bus dropped Phineas and Ferb on their street. The brothers walked together, perfectly in step with each other as usual-until Ferb reached Isabella's house. Phineas stopped short as Ferb walked into her driveway.

"What are you doing?" Phineas demanded. "You're not going over there, are you? I just don't see how you can stand it. Our best friend, turning to stealing."

"She didn't take anything," Ferb insisted. Phineas kept walking.

"Well, I'm not coming with you," he muttered. Ferb ignored Phineas, for once, and stepped up to knock on Isabella's front door without even looking back at his little brother.

"Yes? Oh, it's you, Ferb." Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro appeared to be blocking the doorway. "I'm sorry, but you can't come in." Ferb raised his hand to protest, but Isabella's mother stopped him.

"Isabella is grounded. I know you're her friend, but she's going through some tough spells in her life, and I think it would be better if she was alone," Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro said firmly. "Why don't you go home?" With that, she shut the door.

Ferb slowly turned away. Great. Isabella was stuck, probably in her upstairs room, and he couldn't even say hello to her. He glanced at the side window on the house-that he could easily rocket-propel himself up to; he had the little rockets off his bicycle in his backpack. _No, that's just immature and ridiculous. _Ferb started to head for home, but ended up beside Isabella's house. He put his hand on the wall and pulled his rockets out of his backpack.

_I can't believe I'm doing this_. He pulled out the handles on the rockets and pressed the button. They became hand-held propulsion devices. Ferb almost shut them down before they even lifted him off the ground, but before he could, he was at Isabella's window. She saw him and ran over to open the window.

"Ferb? What are you doing?" she asked, pulling him inside.

"It was, apparently, the only way to visit," he replied ruefully, deactivating his original mode of transportation.

Isabella giggled. "You look like someone in a futuristic production of _Romeo and Juliet_." Their eyes met. Ferb wondered if he was imagining the pink flush creeping over her cheeks.

"I believe you, you know," he said softly. Suddenly, she was choking back tears.

"Well, I guess that makes you the last." She struck her hand against the windowsill in frustration. "I've cried way too much, lately," was all she got out before he had her in his arms. She let her head drop against his shoulder and cried into the soft material of his shirt, muffling her sobs against him so that her mother wouldn't become suspicious. Ferb, as always, let her cry. This time, though, he could feel her sink into him, pull her closer, actually touch her hair. He closed his eyes. This was the closest he'd been to…

Isabella pulled away abruptly with a little gasp. Ferb's eyes flew open. His cell phone was ringing. He hastily answered it as Isabella moved away from him.

"Hello?" His hello sound a bit strained.

"Ferb Fletcher? Are you there? I know you don't talk much, but I thought you liked to speak up," a familiar voice chuckled. Ferb straightened.

"Mr. Gray?"

"Yes, it's me. I called your mother, but she said you weren't home yet and gave me this number," the superintendent explained. "We'd like your help in a little mystery that one of our janitors uncovered after school today. It involves your friend."

"I'll be right there," Ferb said, grabbing his rockets.

"Good. Is your brother coming, too?" Mr. Gray asked. Ferb let out his breath.

"No, probably not. He's got homework," he replied honestly. Phineas did have a lot of homework.

"All right. Thank you, Ferb."

"What's going on?" Isabella asked.

"The superintendent wants to see me." Ferb stepped quickly toward the window. "It's about you. Maybe it's good news."

"It doesn't seem like anything could be good news right now," Isabella declared. "Katie, Holly, and Milly are wondering if they've made a mistake about associating with me again, even Phineas won't come near me…" She turned away from Ferb. "Why are they doing this to me? It's not like I'm a cheerleader or super popular. I don't get it, Ferb."

Ferb walked back to Isabella and put his hand on her shoulder. "They're popular high school seniors," he said simply. "They don't care about making good grades or the wellbeing of other people, because they don't have to. They're exactly where they-and everyone else-want to be, and they know it. They think they can stay on top by eliminating competition." He swung a leg over the windowsill and turned his head toward her.

"But I'm not going to let that happen." The next second, he was gone. Isabella was glad he hadn't noticed the way she'd clung to him. She'd dodged a bullet so far. If she kept acting the way she did around Phineas, Ferb was sure to notice.

She wasn't sure if she was more disturbed by the thought of Ferb noticing the way she'd been behaving or by the fact that she'd all but stopped reprimanding herself for thinking of Ferb the way she used to-yes, it was used to, now-think of Phineas. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to follow in the direction her crazy heart seemed to be leading her. Maybe it was just stress. Maybe it wasn't real.

Maybe this love would end up the way her crush on Phineas had. Isabella didn't want to go through that again. Looking back on the daily frustration, disappointment, false hope, and hours spent blubbering to Ferb about it all, the whole thing seemed like a nightmare. A failure. If loving Ferb failed the same way, who in the world could Isabella go to talk to about it? Isabella shuddered and fell across her bed. Right now, she couldn't afford to take any chances.

While she thought about Ferb, he raced home, dropped off his school books, and bicycled back to school. He was surprised to see Mr. Gray waiting for him in the foyer.

"Ah, hello. Glad you could make it," Mr. Gray greeted him. "First off, do you know if Isabella has been in this building at all today?" Ferb frowned and shook his head.

"That's what I thought." Mr. Gray opened an office door and motioned Ferb inside.

"That-" Mr. Gray jerked his head toward an open drawer "-was one of the staff's clues that something was wrong. When a janitor discovered Isabella Garcia-Shapiro's locker door hanging open, he reported it because it was strange. No other student could have opened that door without a locker combination. So the staff unlocked this office and found that the locker combination numbers had been gone through. Any idea who it was?"

Ferb nodded, his hands clenching into fists. "Sandra Rivera," he muttered.

Mr. Gray turned to him. "One of the girls who was stolen from. Do you really think so?"

Ferb nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"Because there's a strange smell coming from her locker," Mr. Gray informed him.

"A sweet, unusual smell, like a…" Ferb began, but dismissed his own question. "Never mind. Open the locker."

"We don't usually search students' lockers. We haven't even looked into Isabella's yet," Mr. Gray protested. Ferb's head shot up.

"So, no one's touched the door?"

"No…" Mr. Gray replied.

Ferb had already set off for Isabella's locker. "A kid with a junior chemist set…" he was murmuring under his breath.

It didn't take long to for Ferb, the walking chemistry lab, to lift Sandra Rivera's fingerprints off the locker door. Mr. Gray watched the whole process, shaking his head.

"I think this gives us license to open Sandra's locker now and see what that strange fragrance is," he declared finally. Ferb went over to Sandra's locker while the superintendent got the combination. He could smell Isabella's rose from the next hall. Ferb reached her locker and saw the rose lying on the floor. Sandra must have dropped it. He carefully picked up the rose.

"No need to open the locker," Ferb said when Mr. Gray returned. He held up the rose. "This is Isabella's."

"Sandra stole it?" Mr. Gray asked incredulously. "This gets crazier all the time." He peered at the flower. "I've never seen a rose like that. What kind is it?"

Ferb shook his head. "It's a special kind," he answered quietly. "And it wasn't made to lie around Sandra."

He bicycled home so quickly that he forgot to leave the rose in Isabella's locker. Mr. Gray had promised to call Isabella's mother and tell them what had happened, so Ferb was sitting downstairs watching Isabella's house, wondering how long it would take for the call to come. Phineas wandered into the living room and sat beside him.

"Ferb, what took you so long? I haven't seen you all day," he said.

"I was just proving Isabella innocent," Ferb shot back. Phineas rose quickly.

"She is?" he gasped.

"You believe me and not her?" Ferb returned.

"Well, you're never wrong, and you're my brother." Phineas stood with his hand on his head. "Oh, man. I guess I owe her an apology. Is she going to be back in school tomorrow?" Ferb nodded.

"I'll tell her then," Phineas decided. He walked slowly out of the room, apparently still deep in thought.

_No! Tell her now and spare her another day of heartbreak,_ Ferb thought, but Phineas was gone. Ferb shook his head and settled back against the couch. He felt something in his hand and looked down.

He realized Isabella's rose was still in his hand, and a firefly was nestled in its center. The insect flew away before Ferb could catch it in his hand. He shook his head. That did it. He couldn't stand remaining silent any longer.

Tomorrow, he would walk into school, give Isabella her rose back, and tell her the truth.

_**Reviews!**_

HigherSilver: No way, indeed. Isabella is above that. I'm so glad you're reviewing this!

thedoraemons7: Why yes, yes I am. I'm also a fan of Phinbella! Yeah, it's crazy…

Sabrina06: Thank you :D

Thesmartone1997: Glad you loved the chapter. I'll wait patiently for your next review ;)

_**See you soon!-Laptop**_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The first autumn rain drumming on Silverview's roof didn't really improve Ferb's mood the next morning. He'd been watching Isabella all he could through the school day. _She _was wonderfully happy. Over the morning, he'd watched her friends, even Gretchen and Ginger, slink over to her and apologize haltingly, Miss Holcomb tell her that Sandra had been expelled, and now, Phineas was making his way toward her in study hall.

Ferb was hiding behind a huge, dusty volume that he'd picked at random off the shelf, raising his eyes over the top. He wasn't even supposed to be in study hall this time of day, but he couldn't help himself. He had to know what Phineas was going to say to Isabella. Ferb had been trailing his friend all day, taking deep breaths, always getting ready to tell her. But then, some other person would come up to her and express sympathy or regret for the past week.

It wasn't that Ferb minded Isabella's reinstatement into her troop…or that Phineas was sitting by her now, obviously chattering away like a nervous squirrel about how wrong he'd been…or that Isabella hugged him when he stopped for breath…

It was just that Ferb had become transparent again, the boy beside Phineas that could have been there or not. It didn't really matter to Isabella. He wasn't quite invisible; she was his friend, she said hello to him whenever she saw him, was grateful when he stood up for her, and dropped him as her center of attention when everyone else came back into the picture. Ferb looked down at the rose, resting between the pages of his book. It was already two-thirty. Maybe he should just call it a day and revert to being Phineas' silent, knowing partner, always there for his best friend, and leave the rose somewhere for Isabella to pick up if she saw it.

He raised his eyes over his book again. At least Phineas had departed. Isabella was holding her hair back with one hand as she turned the pages of her history book with the other. Ferb couldn't help smiling softly. Her black hair spilled over one side of the white sweater she was wearing over her indigo dress. He was trying to trace the waves of hair with his eyes when she looked up at him. Ferb tried to disappear behind his book, but she had already risen to come over. Hastily, he swept the rose into his lap.

"Ferb?" She sat down next to him and cocked her head. "What on Earth are you doing here?" Ferb shrugged.

"You don't have to keep watching me, or anything." She smiled. "I'm okay, now. Nothing could be better."

"I can tell," Ferb shot back acidly. Surprise rose in Isabella's eyes, taking over the twinkle that hadn't been there in a while, so he guiltily softened his voice and added, "Your eyes are sparkling again." The look in her eyes changed, but only to a different kind of surprise.

"Phineas said I looked happier," were her next words. "He came over and apologized and everything. He was so sweet, but I…" she trailed off as Ferb leaned his head against his book. "Are you okay? You really need to stop stressing about school so much," Isabella said, moving her hand over his in an effort to close the book he was holding. Ferb stiffened at her touch.

"I'm fine!" he hissed loudly. A few heads turned. Ferb ducked behind his volume. Isabella sighed.

"It's kind of hard for you to blend in anywhere, with the green hair, and all," she observed. "So, why are you hiding, anyway?" Ferb exhaled and scooted determinedly closer to the table, half-hoping she would leave him alone.

"I had some extra studying to do," he explained nonchalantly. She strained around to look at the title of the book.

"Ferb, that's not a textbook; that's volume I-L of the encyclopedia," she said confusedly. "You can look up information like that on the Internet anytime." Ferb forcefully shut the book. Isabella studied him.

"Am I bothering you?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No," he said wearily. "No; Isabella, I-" His fingers tightened around the stem of the rose. She was looking into his face now, and the blue eyes overwhelmed him.

"What's wrong?" he could hear her asking from somewhere far away. Unable to stand her frustrating nearness anymore, he got up and stumbled out of study hall.

"Ferb?" Isabella whispered. Slowly, she stood up and returned to her regular spot, the chair against the far wall pointed in Phineas' direction. She watched the redheaded boy every day, hoping he would look up and smile at her. She cherished each time he smiled, especially since it was so rare. Phineas could focus on his homework for hours at a time. He was the most enthusiastic person about school Isabella had ever known besides Baljeet.

Isabella turned a page of her book. She had two choices: Linger around a couple of extra minutes after study hall was over and keep gawking at Phineas, or leave and try to find Ferb. She glanced over at Phineas one more time.

He looked at her and smiled. But as usual, it lasted only a second before he returned to his book. His smiles acknowledged her and then faded off his face as he returned to his own world. Isabella jumped up and left the room.

***'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'**

The locker dial turned to the right, then left, then right again. It was four o' clock, still raining, and Ferb had given up. He had decided to simply put the rose back into Isabella's locker and begin getting over her. The school day was over, and he hadn't seen Isabella since study hall. It didn't matter, though. She'd obviously been sitting so that she could watch Phineas, had already forgiven him, and hadn't noticed anything about Ferb, even the rose that had fallen from his hand when he'd tripped over someone on the way out of study hall. Ferb turned the flower over. The thin covering of silver on the outer two petals had cracked.

Ferb cupped the injured rose in his hand and lifted it toward the top shelf when a hand fell onto his shoulder from behind. "Ferb?" His eyes flew shut as he recognized a disbelieving-and feminine-voice.

He turned to face Isabella, standing there staring at him. The desperate realizations started running through his head chaotically. He had taken too long to do this. School was over already. She had come to her locker. What, oh what, was he going to say?

He said nothing, as was his usual habit, and let his eyes, flitting from her face to the rose still in his outstretched hand, do the stuttering. "I've been-looking all over for you since study hall," Isabella faltered, focused on the rose. "Ferb, what are you…doing?"

"I found it," Ferb barely whispered. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I knew it was yours, so I was returning it." Isabella reached across him and took the rose from his hand. Placing it on the top shelf of the locker, she scrutinized his face.

"That might explain it," she said slowly, deliberately, "but why were you so sure that Phineas didn't give me the rose, and how do you know my locker combination?" Ferb took a breath, preparing to speak, but no excuse leapt to mind. They stared at each other for half a minute, Isabella's eyes swimming in tears, Ferb staring back in shame...

He wasn't prepared when she sprang forward, closing the distance between them. She flung her arms around his neck and crashed her lips into his. Surprised by the suddenness, Ferb nonetheless tightened his arms around her and deepened the kiss after a moment, dragging her backward into the space between the wall and the locker.

The hard wall at Ferb's back was the only thing keeping them both from falling for that instant. Then, Isabella pulled away just as hard as she'd come, her chest heaving. Ferb blinked, still in astonishment.

"Isabella, why?" he asked. She wasn't listening. Her tears were overflowing now. Ferb reached for her, but she stepped back, clenching and unclenching her hands.

"I cannot _believe_ you!" Her words came out between sobs. "How could you? Somehow, you've messed everything up; I love-I don't love you, I _can't, _not like the last time, with him; do you know how that ended up?" Her words were becoming incoherent.

"Isabella, wait!" he pleaded. She turned to race away, but he grabbed her arm. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Don't talk to me! I'm scared!" She jerked her arm away from him and ran outside, only to gasp in surprise as the rain shower poured down on her. Ferb hurried after her, walking quickly into the cold rain.

"This is no place for you; you'll catch cold," he said softly, drawing her back toward the side door. She pushed his hands away.

"Just stop it! I don't need you," she screamed hysterically. "You-you mess with my head and I can't stop thinking about you, and I don't want it!"

"Why not?" His own voice had reached a new level of frustration. "Why is that such a terrible thing?" Her next gasp tapered off, and she stomped her foot, but said nothing.

Ferb took a step toward her, unable to help himself now; it was all in the open now, so it should be all or nothing. "I want you to tell me," he insisted. "I want you to stand there and say you have no feelings for me." The silence stretched almost unbearably.

Then, a horn sounded as two headlights broke through the rain and reflected off the wet pavement. Isabella gave Ferb one last confused look. Her lips parted, but she ended up turning and running toward her mother's car. Her footsteps echoed on the pavement. The door shut, and Ferb was left standing there, watching even the taillights disappear.

That had to have been the worst moment ever. Ferb slowly trudged back inside, the feelings of rejection already tormenting him. It was all over now, at least. There would be no more nervousness, no more false hope, and no way he would ever look Isabella in the eye again.

Phineas came running out of class late, surrounded by giggling girls. For the first time in his life, it was all Ferb could do to keep from smacking him.

"Ferb, I'm ready to go," Phineas panted. "I'll, uh, see you _later_," he aimed at his followers. They scattered eventually, still snickering, as Phineas rearranged his backpack.

"Huh. Isabella left her locker door open." Phineas reached for the door.

Ferb quickly pushed the door shut before Phineas could touch it. Phineas frowned at him. "Are you all right, Ferb?" He looked up at Ferb and peered closely at his face. "Is that lipstick?" Ferb swiped an arm across his mouth and glared fiercely at his brother.

Even Phineas could tell the difference between regular silence and ominous silence from Ferb, so he kept quiet himself all the way home. Ferb was just glad he didn't have to even respond to Phineas' usual running monologue about the day. Ferb locked himself in his room as soon as he got home, and didn't come out for supper.

Meanwhile, in the house next door, Isabella curled up in an oversized chair in her room, still wearing her wet clothes. She would have changed, but she had a Fireside Girl meeting in two hours and didn't want to get another set of clothes dirty for nothing. She would rather not have dressed up in the silly uniform and gone to the lodge to talk about intermediate level patches after a day like that, but she was in charge again now. She had to go.

What in the world had gotten into Ferb, anyway? Did he suspect the things she had been thinking lately? Isabella glanced toward the window and immediately slid off the chair.

_Don't you dare glance toward that upstairs window,_ she scolded herself.Tears came to her eyes.

Why did everything have to be so complicated? She sighed. In retrospect, she had been much too hard on Ferb. She would never have shouted at her best friend, the one she'd learned phrases like, "in retrospect" from, for being in love with her under normal circumstances. But these weren't normal circumstances. This was a dangerous situation.

For she was in love with him, too. Isabella leaned her head back against the chair. There. She'd admitted it, mentally, at least. She began to ponder the concept.

Ferb was different than she was in almost every way possible. He'd rather think through a matter than go careening into the middle of it. That trait of his had always been annoying to her; she thought he was slow when he was simply being careful, timid when he was only waiting for the right time to strike, and unfriendly when he didn't speak. She was always telling him to lighten up and go for what he wanted. And the minute he had, she backhanded him-metaphorically speaking, of course.

She was angry with Ferb because somehow, her love for Phineas had been fading away ever since that rose had turned up in her locker. That confused and scared her, but also made her think. Phineas was wonderful and kind, but he wouldn't grow genetic hybrids and give them to her. He wouldn't jet-rocket up to her window just to tell her he believed in her. He wouldn't take her side against an entire high school. Isabella gasped. Was what Ferb had done for her real love?

If it was, she realized, she'd just lost the chance of a lifetime. Ferb was gone. There was no way he would try again after the things she'd screeched at him. There could be no phone call, no second chance, no apologies. She had lost him, maybe even as a friend, because of her own excitability. Maybe she was too unstable to handle a relationship.

Isabella hugged herself and sneezed. Great. She had a headache from crying, and she had probably caught a cold. Why hadn't she just changed into her uniform already?

The phone rang downstairs just then, so Isabella pulled herself down the stairs to answer it. She just hoped it wasn't any of the Flynn-Fletcher clan.

"Chief? You need to come to the lodge right away," Adyson's voice sounded from the other end of the phone.

"Why, am I late already?" Isabella muttered, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Adyson, the meeting is still an hour away. Mom's not even home yet, and I need time to-"

"The lodge isn't there, chief." Isabella realized that Adyson sounded upset. That would be the only reason the cocky Fireside Girl would call Isabella 'chief' twice in one phone call.

"What do you mean, it's not there?" Isabella asked. Then, she realized that she was hearing sounds in the background; sounds of people instructing, yelling, running…

_Coughing._ Adyson was coughing a little, too. Isabella pressed the phone closer to her ear.

"It's been burned down," Adyson reported. Isabella froze.

"What?"

"It's gone." Adyson was nearly crying by now.

"Gone?" Isabella repeated uncomprehendingly. She opened her mouth, trying to think of the words to say. "Not everything, right? Not the picture frame on the wall for Eliza M. Fireside to see through, or the podium, or the murals, or the secret entrance…" She trailed off.

"Gretchen and I got here just in time to see the last of it go," Adyson cried. "There was a note taped to a tree a few yards away that said, 'Revenge'. It had Sandra's writing on it."

"That makes no sense!" Isabella yelled. "Tell me why Sandra would do something like this and leave her name on it. Why, Adyson?"

"We'll get right on that-" The phone dropped from Isabella's hands. She sank to the floor and sobbed-again. But the worst part was knowing Ferb wouldn't be coming for this one.

She rose up from the floor after a little while. Crying wouldn't solve anything. With shaking hands, Isabella opened the drawer on the stand that held the phone. Her mother had insisted on keeping a school directory somewhere in there. Isabella found the "R" section-and dialed Sandra's home number.

The phone rang a couple of times before a male voice answered. Isabella took a moment to steady her voice and began.

"Um, this is Isabella…Garcia-Shapiro, and I'm calling about a Fireside Girl lodge in the woods south of Danville that was destroyed."

"What? How does this concern us? I'm Ian Rivera. I think you might have the wrong number, little girl," the voice replied.

"No!" Isabella put her hand to her head. "There was a note on a tree with Sandra's handwriting on it," she explained.

"Really?" There was silence for a minute. "I'm back. Actually, I was in the middle of a talk with Sandra. She snuck out after she was grounded, and we were trying to find out where she'd been," Mr. Rivera said. "I think we should come down to this lodge. Could you give me directions?"

"Okay." Isabella gave some directions, which Mr. Rivera wrote down. He thanked Isabella, put the phone away, and turned to Sandra, who was standing in front of him.

"I think it would be much better for you if you spoke up now," he declared. Sandra looked down at the floor. Mr. Rivera's voice rose. "Do you think you can just go around burning buildings?" he demanded.

"We didn't mean to!" Sandra gasped and covered her mouth.

"Well?" her father asked.

"We were just going to trash it when no one was there, that's all." Sandra raised her hand. "I swear. But then Trey, Amy's boyfriend, dropped a match, and there was paper everywhere, and before we knew it, the whole place went up!"

"Why did this boy have a match?" Mr. Rivera inquired. Sandra crossed her arms.

"He was smoking," she snapped. Mr. Rivera rose from his chair.

"Contrary to what you seem to think, money is tight right now," he growled. "If we have to pay to rebuild this…" He stomped out of the room and motioned Sandra to follow him. "Come on. We're going down there, now."

"But, Daddy-"

"I said now."

***'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'**

Isabella stood in the middle of the clearing with the rest of the troop, staring at the damage. Her mother had been talking to Mr. Rivera for the last fifteen minutes. Sandra had been glaring at the girls that long, but Isabella didn't care. Sandra had been expelled and caught. There was nothing more she could do to her.

Finally, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro came back over to the girls. "What did he say?" they all asked at once.

"It was a small loss in terms of money," Isabella's mother said wearily. "Basically, we can't afford to sue them, especially since there seem to be at least five children involved here. If we lose, we have to pay court costs."

"What does that mean?" Holly wailed.

"That Sandra's father has offered us a payment plan, which is much more than most others would do, and until then, well, you'll have to conduct meetings at our homes," Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro replied. An indignant buzz started among the girls.

"We can't do that!"

"It's against protocol."

"This isn't fair! 'All meetings of the Loyal Sisterhood of Fireside Girls should be conducted in a lodge or other wooden building located in the closest thing to a forest you city people can get to,'" Holly quoted from the Fireside Manual.

"I'm sorry, girls," Vivian said as she walked away to get a closer look at the damage.

"Never mind! There's always someone who can help with this. Two someones, actually," Ginger chirped.

"Phineas and Ferb," Katie sang out, skipping merrily.

"Isabella?" Gretchen looked toward her friend. Isabella bit her lip.

"Guys, I can't call them. Not right now," she said slowly. Everyone looked wide-eyed at her.

"Why not?" Adyson demanded. "Isn't Phineas talking to you again? If he isn't, I'll take him out myself."

"He is," Isabella hastily defended Phineas. "He's not the problem. It's-it's Ferb."

"What about him?" Holly asked innocently. Isabella sighed.

"Hey, wait a minute. Wasn't Ferb kind of along with you through this whole thing?" Ginger probed.

"Yes," Isabella admitted. Adyson's eyes widened.

"So, what happened? Give!" Isabella leaned against a tree.

"Well, it wasn't exactly…I mean, what happened… we…that is, he…"

"Oh, great!" Gretchen laughed ironically. "He confessed and you blew him off, didn't you?"

"Nice timing," Adyson muttered. Isabella frowned at her friends.

"He did, and I ran-after yelling at him. I was scared, okay? I just don't know what to do with this. I've never been in love with anyone but Phineas before." She looked around at the group. "You guys don't seem too surprised." The girls exchanged glances.

"Phineas isn't the only one who's oblivious sometimes." Isabella stared at Gretchen.

"And Fireside Girls keep secrets for and from all their friends," Katie added with a thinly veiled giggle.

Isabella gaped. "How long have you-has he-" Gretchen handed Isabella her cell phone.

"Just talk to him. You want to," she advised.

"Believe me, you want to," Adyson snickered.

"You still need to ask them for help. Just ask Ferb this time. It's the best thing you can do," Ginger put in. Isabella pressed a button on the phone, sending the girls a look.

"Privacy," they giggled, backing away. Isabella started hitting buttons; she wouldn't call Ferb; there was no way she could do that. It was texting or nothing. Ferb could decide to come or not without having to talk to her. She tapped her finger on the cell phone keyboard, trying to think of what to say.

_Ferb, this is Isabella, not Gretchen. My phone was ruined in the rain today. _She hesitated before typing the rest of the message. _Could you come to the lodge? It's been damaged. My girls need you and Phineas._ Isabella struggled to hold the phone steady. Her hands were shaking again.

_And I need you._ Isabella pressed "Send message" before she could lose the courage to do so. Maybe it wasn't a confession or an apology, but she wasn't going to send either of those things via Gretchen's cell phone. Maybe this would be enough. Ferb had always been forgiving; she hoped he hadn't given up on that yet, even though she certainly deserved it.

She leaned against the tree and hoped it wouldn't start raining again. All she could do now was wait. All she knew was that the sun was already setting, and every streak of pink or light orange against the blue sky played tricks with her eyes and looked green.

_**Obviously, we'll have another chapter. Reviewers! 3**_

HigherSilver: Well, a good bit of truth triumphed here! The roses scene went well, and now all we need is that last little loose end surrounding Ferb tied up.

Sabrina06: Thanks! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter.

thedoraemons7: Yes, and the Ferbella ship has set sail, albeit on stormy seas…

TheCartoonFanatic01: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you! Because you sent me six reviews :D And actually, I just searched randomly for a song that fit in with the mystery of this pairing, and "Fireflies" fit the bill. I'd never heard it before, but now, it's one of my favorite songs.

lotorq: Thank you, my friend. You will have to wait no longer…

BeautifulandStrangeDragon: Thanks so much!

_**You guys are amazing. See you soon!-Laptop**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

_**A/N: This is the last chapter, obviously! It was supposed to be out Friday, but due to a completely chaotic weekend, it was late. And for the last half-hour, I've been trying to get this out, but my Internet connection had other ideas. Sorry! Oh, and I was looking at the reviews, and suddenly realized I had **_**thirty-seven.**_** WITW! Almost forty! You guys are…wow. I don't know what to say except, thank you, everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and read this.**_

_**Oh, yeah. There's a random reference to "Where's Pinky" in this chapter, though it's probably glaringly obvious anyway.**_

The pencil ran along carefully over the paper. Normally, it hardly would have needed the ruler to guide it, but today, the owner's hand was shaking. The pencil deviated from the ruler and made a stray mark on the blueprint. Immediately, the eraser end came down to rub it out.

Ferb steadied his hand. _Straight lines._ He set the pencil point on the paper again, but his eyes blurred the lines he'd already drawn. He stared at the paper until the lines seemed to connect and form Isabella's face. He groaned. Usually, drawing blueprints calmed him down, but he was too emotionally exhausted to do this tonight. Setting the pencil down, he glanced at the alarm clock. _Six o' clock. How'd it get this late?_

He raked a hand through his hair and sat back in his chair. Nothing was working to avoid the dull, nagging pain so far. He had to stop thinking about Isabella. She'd said she didn't need him. He needed to forget her until he could move past this.

"Ferb, are you going to stay in there all evening? If you are, you need to do your homework," Linda's voice called from downstairs. Ferb grimaced. Homework was usually a simple task for him, but he couldn't even make up a blueprint tonight. Well, it couldn't be helped; he had a few projects due tomorrow.

Ferb trudged downstairs, picked his backpack up from a chair, and headed back to his room before anyone could ask him to stay. Phineas leaped up from his chair as Ferb walked past him. "Come on, Ferb! You haven't been downstairs since after school," he pleaded. Ferb shook his head at Phineas and began to climb the stairs. Phineas followed him.

"What's the matter, anyway?" Phineas asked as Ferb tossed the backpack onto his bed a little too annoyedly. Whatever was inside the pocket on the bottom gave a crunching noise. Ferb winced.

"It sounded like your phone," Phineas observed. Ferb nodded and pulled his phone out. It was a flip phone, and the cover had only snapped out of place. Ferb sighed and started to wrestle the cover back onto its hinges.

"Huh," Phineas muttered, staring out the window that looked toward Isabella's house. "Isabella's mom must be gone. Maybe she's picking Isabella up from the Fireside Girls' meeting."

"This late?" Ferb asked, snapping the cover into place. He flipped the phone open briefly and found he had a new text message. The sender's name was Gretchen Winter. Ferb closed the phone without opening the text. He'd read the message later, but he really didn't want to talk to Gretchen right now.

"I know; the meeting should have been over hours ago." Phineas began searching around his bed. "I left my phone somewhere; I know I did…"

Ferb shifted. "What are you going to do?"

"There it is! I'm going to call her," Phineas replied, popping up with his cell phone in hand.

"Call Isabella?" Ferb repeated, his hands entangling in his purple bedspread.

"Sure! The meeting ought to be over by now, so I'm sure she won't mind," Phineas cheerfully. He left the room, dialing a number.

Ferb flopped down on his back, staring at the ceiling painted to look like summer skies. _No,_ he thought bitterly. _Isabella won't mind._ He realized he was lying on something crinkly and quickly got off of his homework. As he straightened the crumpled paper, he tried to think about something other than Phineas chatting with Isabella and failed miserably. Finally, after beginning his homework and missing two questions that Buford could have answered correctly, he wandered around his room, stopped at his old portable radio, and turned it on. A commercial was playing. Ferb shrugged and went back to his desk. He could work with that.

The commercial gave way to a pause. Ferb thought for a minute or two that the radio wasn't working, but then, he could hear the vibrant, short notes that faded into one another. Ferb put his head on his desk. Fireflies. Of course. He started to get up and turn the radio off several times, but failed and finally just sat there, listening to the music.

He was mouthing the lyrics in time with the singer, but when the line "everything is never as it seems" played, he reached for his pencil and his eye caught his phone. Slowly, he walked over to his bed and picked it up, hardly knowing why. The "new message" alert was still flashing. Ferb touched the screen; as long as he was there, he might as well look at Gretchen's message. Anyway, it would distract him from the sweet torture of the song. He clicked the message open and glanced at it.

_Ferb, this is Isabella, not Gretchen. My phone was ruined in the rain today. Could you come to the lodge? It's been damaged. My girls need you and Phineas…_

Ferb shut the phone without reading the rest of the text. Pushing his chair back from the desk, he worked through a few more problems absentmindedly, thinking about Isabella. She had a lot of nerve, asking him for help after what had happened. Why hadn't she just texted Phineas? She usually did.

But then, if Isabella needed help, it was up to Phineas and Ferb to come to the rescue. They always had, no matter what. Maybe Isabella needed both of them desperately and tried showing it by texting Ferb. Anyway, it would only make things more awkward if Ferb didn't go to her. He wanted to go. Fixing Isabella's world had apparently become habitual for him.

Ferb brushed his thoughts away and glanced at the clock. It was only six-thirty. They could probably still make it. He stepped into the hall, looking around for Phineas.

"I keep getting a recording that says my call to Isabella cannot be completed," Phineas complained, nearly bumping into Ferb.

"That's all you're going to get; her phone is dead," Ferb responded, showing Phineas the text message. "Read that, and then get your toolbox."

Phineas obediently read the message. "Um, Ferb," he called as his brother hurried downstairs, "what's this last part mean?" There was no answer. Phineas looked at the message again, shook his head, and followed his brother downstairs.

The boys told their parents where they were going and, equipped with flashlights, toolboxes, and hardhats, began the ten-minute walk toward the lodge. Some of the Fireside Girls had to be dropped off, but the location for the Fireside Girls' meetings, plots, and girl talks since they were all little sparks had been built close enough to walk to for most of the troop members.

"Here's your phone," Phineas said. Ferb took it from him with a slight smile. Deciding his brother was in a better mood, Phineas asked his previous question again. "Ferb, what did that last part of the message mean?"

"What?" Ferb muttered.

"The last part. Isabella said she 'needed you,'" Phineas told him. "What was that about?"

"She said the Fireside Girls needed you and me," Ferb corrected.

"No! She said that she needed you." Phineas spread his hands. "At the end. Didn't you see it?"

Ferb frowned and opened the message again. He read down to the bottom this time and stopped short in the middle of the trail to the lodge. His expression never changed, but he reread the last four words several times. Phineas watched him, shifting back and forth.

"Um, shouldn't we get going?" Phineas finally suggested. Ferb raised his head and gave a thumbs-up. His mouth had curved into a half-smile, and for once in his life, he looked elated; like a little boy who could hardly contain his enthusiasm in a solemn place. He turned and resumed his walk along the trail, but now, his steps had more of a spring in them as if he was actually anxious to reach his destination.

"You like Isabella, don't you?" Phineas questioned. Ferb turned and shook his head.

"I'm in love with Isabella," he clarified. "There's a difference."

"I guess so," Phineas replied thoughtfully. He paused. "So, is that why you were upset?" Ferb nodded.

"Do you have a problem with me being in love with Isabella?" he asked suddenly. Phineas pondered the question.

"No, of course not," he said. "I'm just glad that you're not upset anymore." Ferb smiled outright. Phineas was so unconcerned, so artless, so lucky to still have the outlook of a child. And now that Phineas wasn't Isabella's crush, Ferb was already starting to remember how much fun his optimistic, carefree personality was. He could enjoy his little brother now instead of standing back and wishing that Phineas would wake up and be what Isabella needed him to be. He hung back to let Phineas catch up with him.

"You know, someday, some girl is going to be very lucky to have you," Ferb said. Phineas only shrugged.

"I guess," was his response. "But, I'm not really interested in that right now." He looked up at Ferb, concern suddenly clouding his face. "Is that okay?"

Ferb ruffled his hair. "It's perfect," he replied, not in a sarcastic or taunting fashion, but with a new understanding of what their world would look like if Isabella stopped obsessing over something she didn't have. Phineas could be free to enjoy his childhood for as long as high school allowed, and perhaps Ferb and Isabella could reconcile. Ferb still wasn't quite sure how that would go, but in spite of himself, hope was growing within him. She had emphasized that she needed him, hadn't she? Maybe something had happened. Maybe the miracle he'd needed so badly back in Paris that one year had come late. Maybe there was a reason it had.

For whatever reason, his heart was beating faster as he neared the clearing. As what had been the lodge came into view, Phineas gasped. Ferb stared in disbelief. The two boys almost tiptoed slowly into the still clearing. Except for the hushed voices of the girls and a few of their parents, the scene was a silent one.

"How in the world could anyone do this to them?" Phineas whispered. "They've spent their whole Fireside Girl career at this place." His voice grew indignant. "I remember their first patch ceremony. Think of the memories, Ferb!" Ferb nodded as his eyes swept the area looking for a certain raven-haired beauty, centering finally on a green tree with a slight little figure resting her against it.

Isabella lifted her gaze briefly from the inchworm that had been crawling along next to her shoe for the last five minutes to the view in front of her. She saw nothing except for a few dead leaves drift to the ground. He wasn't coming. Tears filled her eyes. Ferb's name left her lips in a sort of quiet sob as she curled up on the ground, remembering how he had looked in the rain when she rejected him.

She couldn't believe the pain she felt when Ferb didn't come to her and she had only herself to blame. When Phineas didn't notice her, she'd cried sometimes, but the despair had never been like this. Maybe it was because she knew she'd have another chance the next day. She doubted she'd get another chance now. This proved it. Ferb hadn't shown up. He would never forgive her! If he didn't forgive her…

A hand fell onto Isabella's shoulder. She jumped, literally, overreacting in her shock, and would have fallen if the hand, along with another one, hadn't grasped her waist firmly and steadied her. She landed squarely on her feet and raised her eyes.

He was just standing there, his leaf-green hair falling onto his forehead and his arms around her waist. He had a hardhat on his head, a toolbox at his feet, and his normal, neutral expression on his face, but his eyes were glimmering. Isabella gave a little gasp and collapsed into him.

"I-thought-you weren't coming," she managed, realizing that she was trembling.

"I thought the text was from Gretchen," he murmured, seemingly completely in control of himself as usual. "Sorry."

"No, it's me that should be-sorry," she gasped. "I've been thinking about you for a while now, Ferb, and it was confusing, and-and wrong, or felt wrong at the time." She slapped her hands lightly against his back, frustrated in her search for words. "It made me feel insecure, and bothered, and worried, and then there was Phineas, and-"

This time, he kissed her, feeling the satisfaction of cutting her rambling off that way. And this time, she melted and didn't even try to pull back. When they broke the kiss at last, a section of her hair was entangled with his. With a lighthearted laugh, she reached up to untwine the strands, but he would have none of it. Gently taking her hand away, he unwound her hair from his. It wasn't that he thought she might hurt him; he just loved touching her hair.

He took her hands, and she smiled shyly at him, her eyes aflame with happiness. He reached forward and caressed her cheek, his smile growing in proportion to the sparks in her eyes. He could swear they lit up the darkening surroundings all by themselves. "I never told you my favorite star," he whispered.

She giggled involuntarily, and the blue eyes widened. "What?"

He put his finger gently on her left temple, near the corner of her eye. "That sparkle in the far corner of your left eye. That's the one I love best."

"Hmm." She wrinkled her nose at him. "Why not the other one?"

"Because I almost always saw that one first, when you turned away from Phineas to look at me."

"Like on that deserted island," Isabella recalled. "You came up from my left."

"You remember that?" he asked, astonished, letting her hands drop.

"I've remembered a lot of things today," she replied. Standing before him in a slightly more grown up adaptation of that juvenile pinkish dress he'd laughed at inwardly for so many years, she clasped her hands like a little girl making a confession.

"I love you, Ferb." Unable to contain himself, he swept her into his arms and kissed her again.

"Well, you always were a man of action," she commented once she had regained her breath. "But we'd probably better go show ourselves to the public." Ferb nodded and stepped out into the open, nearly colliding with an angry-looking man.

"Sorry," he apologized, stepping back.

"Quite all right," the man replied in a clipped tone. He was dragging a girl behind him by the hand. Ferb realized the man must be Sandra's father. "I'm sorry for my daughter's behavior. However, since she's decided she can pretend to live without her valuable belongings, I've decided to make that a reality." Sandra's eyes widened, and she glared fiercely at Ferb and Isabella as she went by. Neither of them cared.

"Shall we get to the business at hand?" Ferb asked cheerfully, walking toward the charred concrete foundation where the lodge had been. Isabella followed him, the threat of Sandra slipping from her mind.

The rest of the evening went by quickly as Phineas and Ferb discussed a plan for rebuilding the lodge. Phineas was already chattering about a ray that would reclaim keepsakes from ashes, and the Fireside Girls were listening intently. Ferb took a few measurements, and a few rough sketches were drawn and critiqued, but it was really too late to start any construction that night. The girls were just relieved that they had come. Finally, though, the last tools went back into the toolbox, and the boys said their goodbyes. Phineas even apologized to Isabella one last time.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Isabella. I just wanted to tell you that again," he said.

"It's okay, Phineas," she assured him. He stuck out his hand.

"Are we friends?" Isabella smiled softly and shook his hand firmly.

"Yeah. We're friends," she replied.

"Cool! Maybe you and Ferb can come over and work on a way to survive on Venus with me later," Phineas invited. "If you're not too occupied with each other, that is." Isabella grinned.

"I'll try," she said. "Although, you could just go down to City Hall to study Venus. It holds an office space, you know. Although, I still don't see how it could fit into the desk chair."

"Really? It does? No one ever told me that! Wow, I'm going to have to go down to City Hall…" Phineas' voice faded away as he skipped off, intent on a new idea. Isabella shook her head as she watched him. Ferb came up and stood beside her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said. Isabella nodded, turning to face him.

"I still can't believe you came," she remarked. "I wouldn't have, if it had been me. I would have moped around believing I was punishing the other person, and then came back around too late."

Ferb studied her contentedly. "I just didn't want to lose you," he said.

"It did take a lot to bring us together." Isabella laughed. "High school girls, white roses, and a lot of stars and sparkles." He nodded contemplatively and took a step closer.

"Ferb! Come on! We've got to get home before it gets too dark," Phineas hollered from somewhere up the trail. Ferb threw his head back in annoyance.

"I'm going to dip his blowtorch in peanut butter, I swear," he muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really. He's right. I have to go."

"I'll see you in school tomorrow," Isabella called after him. Ferb sighed happily as he turned his footsteps homeward.

He was a lucky man, really. He had a caring family, the best brother in the world, and now, a wonderful love that actually hadn't ruined any of the relationships he had before. It was quite a dream come true. Now he would get to walk through high school holding her hand.

Words could not describe his happiness, so, as usual, Ferb Fletcher said nothing. But he thought about her until he fell asleep, and thoughts of her spilled out into his dreams as he knew they would every night. That meant every night, he would dream of the color purple, sapphire sparkling eyes, and a backdrop of fireflies and stars.

No idea could have been more welcome.

_**And now, to my reviewers!**_

Sabrina06: Yes, it's not in Ferb's nature to hold grudges or refuse help. Therefore, everything worked out all right. Thanks so much for reviewing this.

lotorq: Thank you for saying that. Switching points of view is always one of the hardest parts of writing a story. Thanks for reviewing!

thedoraemons7: Yes. There wasn't a big scene with Phineas because he wasn't in love with Isabella in the first place, and I didn't want a dramatic fight over her. Ferbella works because Phineas remains oblivious, and I wanted to keep it that way and retain the brothers' friendship. Thanks for reviewing!

WhoWhatWhereWhenWhyWaffles: Thank you! Grammar was always my favorite subject, and it comes naturally to me. I study it all the time, even out of school. Thanks for reviewing.

TheCartoonFanatic01: Okay, okay, I fixed it, they're in love now! JK; I like your enthusiasm. Thank you for reviewing all the chapters! That was just really awesome of you.

HigherSilver: *Hugs back* Again, I cannot thank you enough for reviewing this story. Having one of the main Ferbella writers on here has been absolutely wonderful. I'm so glad you liked it!

Thesmartone1997: Oh, no problem! Hope you're having a good time. I liked your "scarce as a speech from Ferb" line. Give yourself a pat on the back for that one, my friend! Thanks for all your reviews.

BeautifulAndStrangeDragon: Yeah, that's about what she was saying to herself, there. Thank you! That scene went a lot better than I planned. Really, the whole story did. Thank you for reviewing.

_**I had a lot of fun with this, guys. See you soon!-Laptop**_


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